After studying to be a muralist at the Institute of Technology in Stockholm, he traveled and painted in the United States, Russia, Africa and Europe before settling in California in 1921. The following year. He was encouraged by the director of the National Parks, Stephen T. Mather, to make the parks his specialty. His images of the national parks were published regularly in national magazines and he illustrated the book, "Songs of Yosemite" in 1923.