Between Interior Architecture and Inner Architecture

My work sits somewhere between interior architecture and inner architecture.

I spent ten years working in interior design, where I learned that a space is about much more than how it looks. Colour, materials, texture, proportion and light all come together to tell a story and, ultimately, to create a feeling. The best spaces have something of the people who inhabit them within them.

My work as an energy healer took me somewhere very similar, but inward.

We all have our own inner architecture — the beautiful parts, the messy parts, the things we understand and the things buried much deeper. Healing is about being willing to go in, feel it all, untangle what needs untangling, and find a little more clarity, peace and purpose.

Painting is where these two worlds meet.

I rarely begin with a fixed idea of what a painting should be. I let emotion, instinct and whatever is sitting beneath the surface come through the process. Layers build, paint moves, textures emerge. Sometimes it feels peaceful; sometimes it is messy or intense. I don't try to control everything. I'm interested in what happens when all of these elements are allowed to find their own balance.

The visual language of my work is also shaped by the places and ideas that have formed me. My Icelandic heritage gave me a love of stark contrasts — volcanic rock, ice and endless blue skies. Living on the Costa del Sol has given me another kind of landscape: clear seas, mountains, white villages and beautiful tranquillity, alongside the energy and chaos of summer.

I'm drawn to Japanese minimalism, Buddhist philosophy, Wabi-Sabi and Kintsugi — to natural materials, simplicity, imperfection and the idea that something doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

And then there is gold.

I use gold as a reminder of the healing frequency I work with — unconditional love and universal perfection. A painting might come from a peaceful place or a much messier one, but I like there to be a thread of gold within it: a reminder that something greater is always present.

For me, a painting is never only what happens on the canvas.

It is where the inner and outer worlds meet — where emotion becomes material, and where a painting can become part of the architecture of a space.

Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, and raised across Sweden and Germany, Selma is an artist whose practice has been shaped by a lifelong relationship with art, design and craftsmanship.

Creativity was encouraged from an early age, and Selma began receiving recognition for her artwork as a teenager. Her artistic education and curiosity have taken her across a wide range of disciplines, from painting, photography and art history to theatre tailoring, jewellery design and metal craft. This multidisciplinary background continues to inform the way she thinks about materials, texture, form and detail.

Selma holds a cum laude degree in Interior Design from Istituto Marangoni Milan and went on to build a ten-year career in interior design in London. Working with space gave her a deep understanding of proportion, composition, materials, colour and atmosphere — and of how individual elements come together to create a coherent experience.

Alongside design, Selma has developed a practice in energy healing, adding another dimension to her understanding of environment, emotion and human experience. Today, painting has become the place where these different strands of her life naturally converge.

Her abstract works are created intuitively, through layers of pigment, texture and movement. She works across oil, acrylic and watercolour while continuing to explore traditional techniques and handmade materials, including natural pigments and natural binders. Her interest in craftsmanship reflects a broader appreciation for the relationship between the raw material and the finished work.

Her Icelandic roots, years spent living across Europe and life on the Costa del Sol have all contributed to her visual language, alongside an enduring interest in Japanese aesthetics, Buddhist philosophy and Wabi-Sabi.

Now based in southern Spain, Selma continues to develop a practice that brings together art, material, space and inner experience — creating work intended to be felt as much as seen.

05. Investable Artists Profile / Art Market Experts - The Ultimate Guide for Art Investors & Collectors

04. Studio Visit Book Vol.4 / Arts To Hearts  Take a Look Inside the Book ->

03. 2024 Interview by Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

02. 2024 Artist Closeup - Contemporary Art Magazine - Edition #16 March 2024
01. 2019 Interview for local newspaper for privately own gallery & artisan cosmetic shop for local artists, Orust Sweden

16. 2024 October 18-20 / Group Exhibition / Artio Gallery at the Art Shopping Carrousel du Louvre, Paris , FR

15. 2024 October 11-13 / Group Exhibition / European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, ES

14. 2024 May 24-26 / Vision Art Fair Marbella, Represented by The Fusion Gallery in Marbella ES

13. 2024 April 26-30 / Group Exhibition / Pitturiamo Top Selection at Gallerie Thullier, Paris FR

12. 2024 April 04-08 / Group Exhibition / Galerie Beauté Du Matin Calme, Village Suisse, Paris FR

11. 2024 March 13 / Online Exhibition / Artio Gallery at the Art Shopping Carrousel du Louvre, Paris , FR

10. 2024 March 01-31 / Group Exhibition / Andie Art Gallery Athens, GR

09. 2024 March 01-31 / Group Exhibition / Andakulova Gallery Dubai, UAE

08. 2024 March 01-31 / Group Exhibition / Nicoleta Gallery Berlin, DE

07. 2017-2019 Buttercup Gallery & Artisan Cosmetics Shop
- Permanent exhibition at privately owned gallery + local artists exhibitions
06. 2010 “Pushing Boundaries in Design” (group exhibition), Istituto Marangoni, London UK
05. 2006 “A collection of fine art, metal objects and installations” (group exhibition), Nyckelvikksskolan, Stockholm SE
04. 2005 “Contemplation” - Acrylic on Canvas” (solo exhibition), Brunns Café, Gothenburg SE
03. 2005 O.S.D. 1, Gothenburg, SE
02. 1997 “Soaring High” Common space murals to uplift the learning environment, commissioned by GSR College, Mannheim DE
01. 1996 “Social & Environmental Issues - A Thought Provoking Art Exhibition”, GSR College, Mannheim DE

Selma Karlsdottir features in various national and international private collections.
Private commissioned collections in the Costa del Sol, Marbella region, commissioned by UDesign S.L. for their clients.

2007-2010 Istituto Marangoni, Milan IT & London UK BA CUM LAUDE

- Interior Design Theory & Implementation
- Design in Sectors (residential, educational, retail, hospitality)t
- Perspective Drawing of Interior & Exterior Environments
- Adobe Suite, Creative & Presentational Implementation
- Visual Expression of ideas through 3D
- Art History

2005-2006 Nyckelviksskolan, Stockholm SE
- Jewellery Design
- Metal Arts & Crafts, Soft & Hard Metals Design
- Painting & Drawing Techniques
- Architectural Installations
- Product Design

1997-2001 Nationaltheater Mannheim DE
- Textile Theory
- Traditional Tailoring Techniques
- Creative & Dramatic Tailoring for the Stage
- Accessory Design & Creating for the Stage

Selma Karlsdottir has received numerous 1st and 2nd prize awards for paintings and artworks throughout her creative education.