During the last few years Lina Ekstrand has lived in South America, USA, England and finally Germany. Now she is back in Sweden and is heading for her dream home in Österlen, Skåne. ''As a child I drew every day'', she says. ''It drove my father mad as my toys and clothing were constantly swimming in a sea of crayons and half-finished drawings.'' In 2003 Lina graduated from Denmark's Design School. Since then she has freelanced with the whole world as her marketplace. Primarily, she works in pencil, ink and watercolour, but more recently she has used a freer style with strong watercolours. Very often Lina finds inspiration and ideas in the world of film. Her absolute favorite director is Bernardo Bertolucci. When possible during an assignment she likes to incorporate symbols or details, preferably from 1920s Paris. ''People often say that my style is reminiscent of old magazine illustrations. I like dandies and cigarette holders - a bit of a Hemingway-feeling''. Lina has had many exciting commissions over the years. She recently landed the prestigious assignment of decorating Skåne's new Pågatåg trains. ''The trains are named after famous people from Skåne like Birgit Nilsson, Ernst-Hugo Järegård and Sally Bauer. Altogether I made 49 portraits''. She has held several exhibitions in Sweden, also in London and Mexico.

Clients: Femina, Sydsvenskan, Hennes, Oriflame, Findus, Monki, Libresse, Sveriges Radio, Sisters, Mäklarhuset, Western Union, Pågatågen, Konstfack, Doro, Malmö stad, Navigator, Costume and many more.