Solveyg W. Schafferer-Sigerus was born on 4 April 1928, daughter of a Norwegian mother and an Austrian father; Lilly N. Schafferer(f. Nilsen) (1905-1943) and Walter J. Schafferer (1901-1994). She lived in Innsbruck until she was ten years old.

Childhood and youth

The family's constant travels to Italy gave her an early interest in archeology, architecture and sculpture.

After "Anschluss" in 1938 her parents decided to move to Norway. Her father`s ironic statements in relation to the new regime resulted in three summons to the Gestapo. His diplomatic nature saved him, but he got a warning the last time: "Next time we will not let you go, Mr. Schafferer". Her father hastily arranged to have the family's most important belongings sent through Switzerland to Norway. They left Innsbruck in a hurry and arrived in Hamburg just before the borders were closed. They arrived in Trondheim by boat ("Ottar Jarl") at the end of March 1939, and joined her mother's relatives . Later, when Norway was invaded by the germans, the family had to flee to Sweden.

On her own

Her mother died in 1943 and because of the war circumstances ,she lost two years of schooling, but managed to complete her final exams with her peers at Grimeland in Oslo 1948. Then she went back to Trondheim, where she started her artstudies at "Kunstskolen" in autumn 1948.

She debuted with drawing and sculpture in the Trondheim Art Society i 1950.

From 1951 she was a student at the National Academy of Fine Art in Oslo and had as a teacher Prof. Palle Storm. She debuted as a sculptor at the State Autumn Exhibition in 1951 and has been assumed with 26 work of art.

The last work she submitted was a portrait of Prof. Georg Hygen in plaster, carried out in 1995. In recent years, she only does exibitions by invitation.

Familylife

In 1957 she married war pilot Birger Tidemand-Johannessen (1918-2005) and in this marriage had two children; Birger W. Tidemand Johannessen (f.1961) and Eva L. Schafferer Tidemand-Johannessen(f.1967). The marriage ended in divorce in 1971 and she lived alone until 1988.

She married a 2. time with Tore J. Svendsen (1932-2001), former captain in the Norwegian Air Force.

Curiosity and community involvement

In 1986, she completed Examen Philosophicum at the University of Oslo, and in 1990 she started studying for her own interest sake. At first psycology 2 years an then History of religion.The studies resulted in PhD in "History of Religion" with the paper "In the beginning was image", she achieved the degree of Cand. phil. by the Faculty of Arts i 1998.

Her second-last major sculpture was completed while working with the final paper and shares the same title.

Her last major sculpture, "Dream and reality for 2000 years", was as a result of her repulsion towards the invasion of Iraq. The bronze was begun in March 2003 and completed in 2004.