Skovgaard Hjem

"Skovgaard Hjem" [translation: 'Forest Farm Home'] takes it's inspiration from my ancestral home on the Danish island of Bornholm.  The farms in Denmark are named, and thus, "gaard" means farm.  There was a transition when land owners often took the name of their farm/location as their surname instead of the patronimic method of taking the father's first name followed by either son or datter.  So, my surname comes from the farm "Skovgaard" in Vestermarie.   Skov = Forest and Gaard = farm.   The farm backs on to Almindingen Forest in the parish of Vestermarie.  On one of our trips to the island, we spent days visiting many of the important ancestral places and photographing them for reference photos.  My family has a very long history on the island dating back to the days of the Vikings.  My Grandpa, not wanting to be a farmer, left the island in 1921 in search of working in the very lucrative USA emerging technology; Automobiles!  :-)   He began his own business doing just that.   

Limited Edition reproductions can be found at www.etsy/shop/katmarxartllc