Erje Ayden states, "Mjaanes was an instinctive painter. He reacted to what he saw around him. . . Never afraid to paint scenes which life did not reveal. . . Mjaanes' paintings have been a continuous journey. An imaginary train ride through urban skies and non-existing pastoral gatherings. Knowing and presenting the human odyssey was Otto's contribution to our time and place. And he did it handsomely."