A life near the water and the brush Signe Scheel spent her early years at Villa Ekely, where the presence of Lake Mjøsa was a constant neighbor. Born in Hamar, she grew up in a large family of eleven children. Her talent first caught the eye of Hans Gude, a friend of her father, who encouraged her to pursue the brush. This support allowed her to move toward formal training, eventually leading her back to Kristiania at the age of twenty…