RØNNAUG PETTERSSEN - the artist & her dolls

BODIL PETTERSSEN MELENEY is the daughter of Rønnaug Petterssen. Born in Oslo in 1941, she grew up at her mother's knee surrounded by dolls, fairytales, folklore and art. Bodil was an only child and as such spent a lot of time in the workshop. Her playdolls included every type of doll made there and she dressed and redressed these dolls and became intimately familiar with their construction and also production. When she became old enough she did small jobs at the workshop and ran errands for her mother. Later, as an adult, she ran the workshop for several months while her mother was away on a much needed vacation. Bodil feels lucky to have known all the people involved in her mother's life and career after the war.

Bodil was always an artist, but she heeded her parent's wishes and got her degree as an RN from Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo. In 1965 she married an American, moved to the States and has two children Eric T Meleney, an acupuncturist and herbalist and her daughter Karen M Green, an artist who is collaborating on the book.

Bodil studied art at The Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC from 1974 till 1977. Her initial studies were in printmaking. In 1980 she started exploring sculpture, initially conceptual and she exhibited her work widely in the US, in Norway and also in Africa. In 1992 after her divorce she began her work with art and furniture and she has mainly worked on commissions, since then. Most notably a public commission for 22 benches for the Trolley 8 in Bethesda MD. The benches were installed between the fall of 2003 and summer 2004. Since then she has created first one, then now a second bench for the Palisades Community in NW Washington, DC.

In the mid 1990 her thinking came full round and she again picked up on health and well being and studied Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is now established as a practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine. Her mother had in fact very early on used herbal medicine for her own health issues and her father was avidly interested in herbs and natural health. Bodil continues to pursue her art. She is also excited to be able to present this book to the world.