"My works bring the elements of nature, and the authentic west coast feeling into your home," says Estrup himself when describing his art.

Studio and gallery in a historic setting at Æ Tysk'havn

The local artist, born in Skagen, opened his atelier and studio in Knudsen’s old fishing tackle shop at Æ Tysk’havn 12 in Hvide Sande in 2020, and has since used the space as a fascinating backdrop for his creative work: Paintings, wall art and art made from driftwood and reclaimed wood.

Art created with recycled materials, rust, patina and fire

Christian Estrup builds his surfaces and images using all kinds of readily available materials, and continuously distresses and oxidizes them with mechanical impact, chemicals, and fire.

He describes himself as equal parts alchemist and artist, always deeply fascinated by the fact that we humans, too, live on borrowed time: materials are constantly changing, and surfaces reveal deeper layers.

Wabi-sabi paintings and wall art

Estrup's work with found materials stems from a deep respect for nature's own processes. On the West Coast, salt, moisture and wind erode even concrete bunkers back to sand – and it is precisely this that Estrup finds something reassuring in. His works are created in the meeting between the found and the made, between nature's slow transformation and the artist's intervention.

In a culture that constantly pushes for upgrades and renewal, Estrup sees his art as a counter-voice: Beauty is not found only in the new and unblemished – there is a deeper authenticity in that which has already been something, and has now been transformed into something else. Read Christian Estrup's full artist statement here.