The first time I had students was twelve years ago, one person asked me to be his teacher and I accepted on a free basis, which I still do. Until now I have taught 25 students.

At the beginning I paid everything in full, but now I  will only give materials to start with, and free teaching.

The reason I teach for free is because when I learned from my Norwegian teacher I did not pay.

Even though he did not teach me anything, I still learnt from him, and he gave me his name. This makes me feel like I owe Norway wherever I am in the world. In Turkish we have a saying for this: "teach me a word, and I will be your slave for 40 years". My door will always be open to Norwegian people so I can pay back my debt.

To be able to teach, I have to tell what I do not teach. What I do not teach is perspective, because if there is two glasses in front of you and the person cannot see which is closer to him, he or she will never learn to paint. Perspective comes naturally to everyone.

Anatomy, everybody has eyes to see. If someone wants to see anatomy right, then it is very natural to see it right. If someone wants to see his own anatomy how can I teach that?

Also I do not teach colour, I do not think it is possible to learn. Beside what colour they like is none of my business. I teach each colour from the pigment, and what degree of transparency they have, and the tone difference between them.

I do not teach art, I believe everyone develops their individual art. Nobody can teach art to another. However all my students seems to be mostly interested in what I am doing with colour and construction. This I think is wrong, because I do not teach other than chemistry of the material.

In my studio I never see myself as a master. I am a teacher teaching material, and how to control the brush, to make the colours, and to hold the light from material to material.

I never use my students for anything, such as modeling, or stretching canvas. But one condition I put, and that is that they should make coffee for me when they come. Up to now no one has kept his or her promise. It does not seem like they feel like owing me that.

I teach everything possible so they can go free from me; this is done with simplicity through development.

Click the links below for more information about my current students:

Yvonne Jeanette Karlsen

Kari Linberg

Rita Schäffer