Archivi categoria: astrattismo

Jasmin Pasin when art becomes Art Theraphy

It’s a great pleasure for me to introduce you to the young Turkish-Finnish artist Jasmin Pasin, who has always lived in Heinola, a small town in southern Finland, nestled in the vast Finnish lakeland.
Jasmin began drawing and painting as a child, and her surroundings—nature, water, and woods—are certainly perfect for her artistic endeavors!
Her mother has carefully preserved her work, and a large painting of cherry blossoms, created over 20 years ago, still hangs on the wall at home.
Over the years, Jasmin has refined her technique using watercolors, pastels, and oil paints, and has been painting with acrylics for over three years.
Her “not-quite-blonde” appearance caused her many problems during adolescence, where she unfortunately suffered from bullying and racism. This very painful experience subsided over the years, but it left internal scars that never fully healed, despite the constant support she always received from her mother.
After adolescence, Jasmin, now an adult, thought her normal life could finally begin, but at 22, she woke up one morning with a numb finger, and from there, everything changed!
Seven days after that unnatural awakening, Jasmin heard the neurologist examining her say the words that still resurface in her troubled dreams today: “You have multiple sclerosis”
Jasmin isn’t naturally one to give up easily, so she continued to live with her illness. But five years later, strange new symptoms appeared, leading to the diagnosis of another rare neurological disorder, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The combination of these two conditions affects one in a million people, according to a study.
Jasmin is approaching her 35th birthday, but staying functional requires a level of medication and self-care that’s difficult to explain to anyone.
Suffice it to say that in the last 13 years, she’s drunk perhaps six times, aware that “health is the only true wealth” and therefore must be protected from anything that might be inconsistent with the treatments she must undergo.
People often say, “You look gorgeous” but Jasmin, even knowing it’s a compliment, wouldn’t hesitate for a second if she had to choose between ten million euros and regaining her health.
Unfortunately, the reality is that almost all the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and idiopathic intracranial hypertension are part of her daily life, every single moment.
They are diseases invisible to the human eye, but constant, and what others see is the surface: the strength with which she has learned to endure (thanks to the many medications she takes) and the smile she wears almost like a shield.
What they don’t see is the pain, the pressure, the fatigue, the dizziness, the vision problems, the neuropathic pain, the heaviness, the daily calculations she is forced to make to function.
Looking healthy and being healthy are two very different things.
Her greatest support comes from her family (mother, brother, and sister) and, of course, her dog Sekerim.
Unfortunately, diagnoses never affect just one person, but the entire family, and Jasmin knows in her heart that her family will always be there for her. Always!
When she paints, it’s the only time for Jasmin to completely forget the symptoms, the pain, and the fate that has been reserved for her.
When she goes out with her beloved dog, the physical pain is always present, but when she paints, it becomes art therapy. For her, painting isn’t just a passion, it becomes her medicine, her lifeline in the way she must experience her world.
In her art, Jasmin uses texture, the atmosphere of Finnish fir forests, a sense of fog, a touch of abstraction, and the presence of animals and the Northern Lights.
She has been painting with acrylics for just over three years and has already held two solo exhibitions. Her next solo exhibition is scheduled at the Miekankoski Café in Mäntyharju, starting July 1, 2026.
For every work she sells, Jasmin donates €2 to the Finnish Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, in the hope that a vaccine or cure for multiple sclerosis will one day be found. Supporting the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation is incredibly important to her.
Jasmin has drawn incredible power from art, so much so that she’s been able to use social media to talk openly about her life living with a chronic disease.
Through her art, she also wants to send a message to herself, to the 22-year-old girl she was, to tell her and others in her situation that you can overcome any adversity in life; you just need to find something to hold on to!
Writing has also been very important to her, becoming an incredibly powerful outlet in the worst moments. Whether it’s a diary, notes, or social media posts, it doesn’t matter.
And the response to Jasmin has been overwhelmingly positive, with people complimenting her for having the courage to speak out.
For more information on Jasmin’s artistic work, you can visit her Instagram and Facebook pages and her website, where you’ll find all her works, which are also available for sale online.
Jasmin looks forward to seeing you!

Jasmin Pasin quando l’arte diventa Arteterapia

Con immenso piacere oggi vi presento la giovane artista turco finlandese Jasmin Pasin che vive da sempre a Heinola una piccola città del sud della Finlandia  e all’interno della vasta regione lacustre finlandese.
Jasmin ha iniziato a disegnare e dipingere già da bambina e certamente l’habitat che la circonda : natura, acqua e boschi dal punto di vista artistico è perfetto!
La sua mamma ha conservato gelosamente i suoi lavori e in casa appeso al muro c’è ancora un grande dipinto di fiori di ciliegio realizzato più di 20 anni fa.
Nel corso degli anni Jasmin ha affinato la sua tecnica utilizzando acquerelli, pastelli e colori a olio e da più di tre anni dipinge con gli acrilici.
Il suo aspetto  “ non proprio biondo “ le ha causato non pochi problemi durante l’adolescenza dove ha purtroppo subito episodi di bullismo e razzismo, un’esperienza molto dolorosa che con il passare degli anni è cessata pur lasciando delle cicatrici interne che non si sono mai del tutto rimarginate nonostante il sostegno costante che ha sempre ricevuto dalla madre.
Superata l’adolescenza Jasmin ormai diventata adulta pensava che la sua vita normale potesse finalmente iniziare, ma a 22 anni una mattina si è svegliata con un dito intorpidito e da lì tutto è cambiato!
Dopo sette giorni da quel risveglio innaturale Jasmin ha sentito pronunciare dal neurologo che la stava visitando le parole che ancora oggi riaffiorano nei suoi sogni inquieti : “ Hai la sclerosi multipla “.
Per natura Jasmin non è un tipo che si abbatte facilmente e quindi ha proseguito la sua vita convivendo con la malattia, ma cinque anni dopo sono comparsi nuovi strani sintomi che hanno portato alla diagnosi di un’altra rara patologia neurologica, l’ipertensione intracranica idiopatica (IIH) e la combinazione di queste due malattie affligge secondo la casistica una persona su un milione di soggetti.
Jasmin sta per compiere 35 anni ma per lei rimanere funzionale richiede un livello di farmaci e di cura di se stessa difficile da spiegare a chiunque.
Basti pensare che negli ultimi 13 anni ha bevuto alcolici forse sei volte, consapevole che “la salute è l’unica vera ricchezza” e quindi va preservata da tutto ciò che può non essere in linea con le cure a cui deve sottostare.
Spesso si sente dire da chi la incontra : “ hai un aspetto splendido “ ma Jasmin pur sapendo che è un complimento se dovesse scegliere tra dieci milioni di euro e riavere la sua salute non esiterebbe un secondo.
Purtroppo la realtà è che quasi tutti i sintomi della sclerosi multipla  e dell’ipertensione intracranica idiopatica fanno parte della sua vita quotidiana, ogni singolo istante.
Sono malattie invisibili all’occhio umano, ma costanti e quello che gli altri vedono è la superficie: la forza con cui ha  imparato a sopportare (grazie ai molti farmaci che assume) e il sorriso che indossa quasi come uno scudo.
Quello che non vedono è il dolore, la pressione, la stanchezza, le vertigini, i disturbi della vista, il dolore neuropatico, la pesantezza, i calcoli quotidiani che è costretta a fare per riuscire a funzionare.
Avere un aspetto sano ed essere sani sono due cose ben diverse.
Il suo più grande sostegno le arriva dalla famiglia ( mamma, fratello e sorella ) e naturalmente dal suo cane Sekerim.
Le diagnosi purtroppo non colpiscono mai una sola persona ma tutta la famiglia e Jasmin sa in cuor suo che la sua famiglia per lei ci sarà sempre.Sempre!
Quando dipinge per Jasmin è l’unico momento in cui dimentica completamente i sintomi, il dolore e il destino che le è stato riservato.
Quando esce con il suo amato cagnolino il dolore fisico è sempre presente, ma se dipinge la pittura in quel momento diventa Arte terapia, dipingere per lei non è solo passione ma diventa la sua medicina, la sua ancora di salvezza nel modo in cui deve vivere il suo mondo.
Nella sua arte  Jasmin utilizza la texture, l’atmosfera delle foreste di abeti finlandesi, un senso di nebbia, un tocco di astrazione e la presenza di animali e aurore boreali.
Da poco più di tre anni dipinge con gli acrilici e ha già allestito due mostre personali e ha in programma la sua prossima mostra personale  al Miekankoski Café di Mäntyharju, a partire dal 1° luglio 2026.
Jasmin per ogni opera che vende dona 2 euro alla Fondazione finlandese per la sclerosi multipla, nella speranza che un giorno si trovi un vaccino o una cura per la sclerosi multipla, e per lei sostenere la Fondazione per la Sclerosi Multipla è estremamente importante.
Jasmin è riuscita a trarre dall’arte un potere incredibile a tal punto da riuscire a usare i social media per parlare apertamente della sua vita convivendo con una malattia cronica.
Attraverso la sua arte vuole mandare un messaggio anche a se stessa, alla ragazza di 22 anni che era per dire a lei e alla altre persone nella sua stessa situazione che nella vita si può superare qualsiasi avversità, basta trovare qualcosa a cui aggrapparsi!
Per lei anche la scrittura è stata molto importante diventando uno sfogo incredibilmente potente nei momenti peggiori, che si tratti di un diario, di appunti o di post sui social ha poca importanza.
E il riscontro per Jasmin è stato più che positivo e le persone si sono complimentate con lei per aver avuto il coraggio di averne parlato apertamente.
Per maggiori informazioni sull’attività artistica di Jasmin potete andare sulle sue pagine social Instagram e Facebook e sul suo sito web dove troverete tutte le sue opere che sono in vendita anche online.
Jasmin vi aspetta con piacere!

Jasmin Pasin – Bound by colors 60×70 acrylics and acrylic markers 2026
Jasmin Pasin – Where they can’t hurt us 60×70 acrylic and acrylic markers
Jasmin Pasin – Where beauty grows 65×54 acrylics and acrylic markers 2026
Jasmin Pasin – Day by day you can sit a little closer 54×65 cm

Nature

Flowers

Animals

Old and next exhibitions

SariArt Paintings aka Sari Törmälä, with her art, knows how to convey brilliance, positive energy and so much happiness!

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Finnish artist Sari Törmälä, who lives in East Helsinki but is known in the art world by her stage name SariArt Paintings.
Sari has always appreciated culture in its various forms, but the visual arts are the most meaningful to her.
Her connection with art can almost be described as symbiotic, so much so that a good art exhibition can give her a veritable endorphin rush, where feelings of calm, excitement, and happiness intertwine, and the same happens when she paints.
Sari began painting watercolors and occasionally drawing as a young girl, but as she’s grown older, painting has become almost a necessity for her!
And for someone who loves art like Sari, there’s nothing strange about getting up early in the morning while everyone else is sleeping and, after a good cup of Finnish coffee, starting to paint without any time constraints. Likewise, she doesn’t mind painting late into the night when a work is at a point where it can’t be left unfinished.
For Sari, painting is a state of mind that blends positive energy, strength, joy, and a profound sense of immersion and focused harmony.
Sari loves creating large-scale works, so she also engages in physical activity. Just last spring, she suffered a sprain in her right hand, which forced her to delicately paint smaller pieces to keep her painting.
She often wonders where all her work will fit, but being fortunate enough to have a home with a bright, spacious space where she can paint and store her materials, she’s never worried about it.
Sari is now sailing toward 500 works, having already surpassed the 400 milestone some time ago. To be honest, she’s stopped counting, partly because some have been sold, others have been repainted with new works, and the rest are now housed in a room in her home.
Sari loves painting works and styles of all kinds, and her subjects are linked to nature, seascapes, flowers, and animals, with a particular fondness for horses.
She tends not to create precise portraits, but rather seeks a simplified or abstract perspective for her works.
Through her study of art, she has learned to appreciate different artistic styles and is especially interested in experimenting with various subjects and styles, which has led her to build a collection that includes a huge variety of works.
She loves experimenting with large acrylic paintings, but her tools are virtually limitless.
She always paints on canvas with acrylic paints, occasionally adding details with acrylic markers, dry and oil pastels, or charcoal.
Her goal is to create large-scale works, say 100-120 cm, although she already plans to create even larger works in the future.
Her tools include brushes, spatulas, rubber gloves/fingers, wide-bristle brushes, rags, cut yogurt pots, sticks, and anything she thinks will create the desired effect.
She only created her social media pages in 2026, but has already sold many works and created commissioned pieces.
She is a board member of the East Helsinki Art Society, with whom she will participate in the Society’s 47th anniversary exhibition, which will be held at the Merirasti Cultural Space from August 5 to September 6, 2026.
During the summer, from June 1 to July 31, 2026, her smaller works will be exhibited again at Heinävesi at Kerman Keidas.
You can find more information about her artistic work through her social media profiles on Instagram and Facebook, and you can contact her via Messenger or direct message from her Instagram profile.
For those interested, there is also the possibility of going to see the paintings directly at Sari’s home in the eastern part of Helsinki, given that not all the works are published on the social pages.

SariArt Paintings alias Sari Törmälä con la sua arte sa trasmettere brillantezza, energia positiva e tanta felicità!

Oggi ho il piacere di presentarvi l’artista finlandese Sari Törmälä che vive a Helsinki Est ma è conosciuta nel mondo artistico con il suo nome d’arte SariArt Paintings.
Sari da sempre apprezza la cultura nelle sue varie forme ma le arti visive sono per lei le più significative
Il suo legame con l’arte si può quasi definire simbiotico a tal punto che una bella mostra d’arte è capace di regalarle una vera e propria scarica di endorfina in cui sensazioni di calma, eccitazione e felicità si interscambiano tra di loro e lo stesso le accade quando dipinge.
Sari ha iniziato da giovane dipingendo ad acquerello e disegnando anche se occasionalmente, ma crescendo, da adulta per Sari oggi dipingere è diventata quasi una necessità!
E per chi ama l’arte come Sari non c’è nulla di strano alzarsi la mattina presto mentre gli altri dormono e dopo una buona tazza di caffè finlandese iniziare a dipingere senza limiti di orario e allo stesso modo non disdegna dipingere fino a notte fonda quando un’opera è in una fase che non può essere lasciata incompiuta.
Dipingere per Sari è uno stato d’animo in cui si mixano energia positiva,forza,gioia e un profondo senso di immersione e armonia focalizzata.
Sari ama creare opere di grandi dimensioni e quindi svolge di conseguenza anche un’attività fisica, e proprio la scorsa primavera ha subito una distorsione alla mano destra che l’ha costretta pur di non lasciare da parte la pittura a dipingere con la dovuta delicatezza opere di piccole dimensioni.
Spesso si chiede dove troveranno posto tutte le sue opere ma avendo la fortuna di avere una casa con uno spazio luminoso e ampio dove può dipingere e lasciare i suoi materiali, non si è mai posta più di tanto il problema.
Ormai Sari sta veleggiando verso le 500 opere realizzate avendo superato già da un po’ il traguardo delle 400 e a dire il vero a smesso di contarle anche perché alcune sono state vendute,altre sono state ridipinte con nuove opere e le restanti trovano spazio in una stanza della sua casa.
Sari ama dipingere opere e stili di ogni genere e i suoi soggetti sono legati alla natura, ai paesaggi marini, ai fiori  e agli animali con una particolare predilezione per i cavalli
Tende a non realizzare ritratti precisi ma cerca piuttosto una prospettiva semplificata o astratta per le opere che esegue.
Attraverso lo studio dell’Arte ha imparato ad apprezzare diversi stili artistici e le interessa soprattutto sperimentare con vari soggetti e stili fatto questo che l’ha portata ad avere una collezione che comprende un enorme varietà di opere.
Ama cimentarsi con grandi dipinti acrilici ma i suoi strumenti sono pressoché illimitati.
Dipinge sempre su tela con colori acrilici non disdegnando a volte di aggiungere dettagli con pennarelli acrilici, pastelli secchi e a olio, o carboncino.
Il suo must è creare opere di grandi dimensioni, diciamo sui 100-120 cm anche se pensa già per il futuro di realizzare opere ancora più grandi.
Il suo parco strumenti comprende : pennelli, spatole, guanti/dita di gomma, pennelli a setole larghe, stracci, vasetti di yogurt tagliati, bastoncini e  qualsiasi cosa le sembra che possa  creare l’effetto desiderato.
Ha creato le sue pagine social solo nel 2026, ma ha già venduto molte opere e realizzato anche opere su commissione.
E’ un membro del board della Società artistica di Helsinki Est con cui parteciperà alla mostra per il 47° anniversario della Società che si terrà presso lo Spazio Culturale Merirasti dal 5 agosto al 6 settembre 2026.
Durante l’estate dal 1° giugno al 31 luglio 2026 le sue opere di dimensioni più piccole saranno nuovamente esposte a Heinävesi presso Kerman Keidas.
Potete trovare maggiori informazioni sulla sua attività artistica attraverso i suoi profili social su Instagram e Facebook  e potete contattarla tramite Messenger o con un messaggio diretto dal profilo Instagram.
Per chi fosse interessato vi è anche la possibilità di andare a vedere i quadri direttamente a casa di Sari nella zona est di Helsinki, dato che non tutte le opere sono pubblicate sulle pagine social

SariArt Paintings – Autumn leaves 120x100cm acrylic painting on canvas
SariArt Paintings – Sunny 120x100cm, acrylic painting on canvas
SariArt Paintings -Pink Blooms 120x100cm acrylic painting on canvas
SariArt Paintings – Freedom 100x120cm acrylic painting on canvas
SariArt Paintings – Mild curiosity 100x120cm akrylic on canvas
SariArt Paintings – Summer blooms 100×120 cm acrylic painting on canvas

Milla Piirainen when painting becomes poetry

It’s a great pleasure to introduce Milla Piirainen, a Finnish visual artist from Helsinki.
Her interest in art began in childhood, but her true connection with creativity emerged later, in adulthood, in the early 1990s.
It was then that art became a more conscious and important part of her life, as a form of visual expression and also as a way to give form to emotions, observations, and inner experiences.
Her art studies further deepened and strengthened her artistic practice.
Alongside her artistic career, she worked as a beautician and makeup artist and ran her own beauty salon.
Even in that work, creativity was an essential part of everyday life, expressed in a diverse way through aesthetics, color, shape, and personal expression.
Born by the sea, Milla found inspiration for her life in the ocean’s deep and ever-changing moods, and for this reason the sea, a source of life and a symbol of strength, is at the center of her art.
Her highly expressive paintings fully reflect the sea’s distinctive duality, capable of being at times calm and comforting, yet also powerful and stormy.
Milla, in a uniquely personal way, is able to narrate the sea through stories of its roar, the play of the waves, and the wonderfully profound silence that precedes a storm.
Although Milla is primarily a marine painter, she also has a special interest in flowers, which she attaches great significance to both her art and her personal expression.
For her, flowers are symbols of time, life, and transience, capable of evoking memories and emotions. Thanks to their shapes and the play of light on their petals, she can discover infinite creative possibilities.
The flower paintings are inspired by the Finnish poet Tommy Taberman, whose verses and outlook on life deeply impressed Milla.
Her  work is characterized by a versatile use of colors, materials, and techniques, through which she portrays human experiences and natural phenomena.
She works with acrylic, oil, and mixed media, primarily using the palette knife, which has created her distinctive, layered, and vividly textured painting style.
Her  works are not content with mere aesthetic impressions, but invite the viewer to explore the deeper meanings and emotions that art can evoke.
What can I say about her abstract paintings, except that for me, a lover of abstract art, I found them marvelous and capable of evoking incredible visual emotions, so much so that her Underwater Oasis collection is pure poetry!

You can find more information about Milla on her Instagram page, and you can view her works and receive information about upcoming events and exhibitions on her website where you can see them in person.
Private appointments can be arranged to view her works at her studio in Espoo, Finland.
All her works are available for purchase through direct contact via her website or Instagram page, with all sales handled directly with the artist.

Milla Piirainen quando la pittura diventa poesia

Con grande piacere oggi vi presento Milla Piirainen, un’artista visiva finlandese di Helsinki.
Il suo interesse per l’arte è nato durante l’infanzia, ma la sua vera connessione con la creatività è emersa più tardi, in età adulta, all’inizio degli anni ’90.
È stato allora che l’arte è diventata una parte più consapevole e importante della sua vita, come forma di espressione visiva e anche come modo per dare forma a emozioni, osservazioni ed esperienze interiori.
Gli studi artistici hanno ulteriormente approfondito e rafforzato la sua pratica artistica.
Parallelamente al suo percorso artistico, ha lavorato come estetista e truccatrice e ha gestito un proprio salone di bellezza.
Anche in quel lavoro, la creatività era parte essenziale della vita quotidiana, espressa in una forma diversa attraverso l’estetica, il colore, la forma e l’espressione personale.
Nata in riva al mare, Milla ha trovato ispirazione per la sua vita nei profondi e mutevoli stati d’animo dell’oceano e per questo motivo il mare, fonte di vita e simbolo di forza, è al centro della sua arte.
I suoi dipinti molto espressivi riflettono appieno la dualità che contraddistingue il mare capace di essere a volte calmo e confortante ma anche potente e tempestoso.
Milla in modo del tutto personale è capace di raccontare il mare attraverso storie del suo fragore, del gioco delle onde e in modo meraviglioso il profondo silenzio che precede una tempesta.
Milla pur essendo principalmente una pittrice di marine ha una particolare attenzione anche per i fiori a cui  attribuisce un  grande significato, sia nell’arte che nella sua espressione personale.
Per lei, i fiori sono simboli di tempo, vita e transitorietà, capaci di suscitare  ricordi ed emozioni e grazie alle loro forme e al gioco di luci sui petali riesce a trovare infinite possibilità creative.
I dipinti di fiori sono ispirati al poeta finlandese Tommy Taberman, che con i suoi versi e il modo di vedere la vita hanno profondamente impressionato Milla.
Il suo lavoro è caratterizzato da un uso versatile di colori, materiali e tecniche, attraverso i quali ritrae esperienze umane e fenomeni naturali.
Lavora con acrilico, olio e tecniche miste, utilizzando principalmente la spatola, con la quale ha creato il suo stile pittorico distintivo, stratificato e dalla texture vivida.
Le sue opere non si accontentano di una mera impressione estetica, ma invitano lo spettatore a esplorare significati ed emozioni più profondi che l’arte può evocare.
Che dire poi dei suoi dipinti astratti se non che per me che amo l’astrattismo li ho trovati meravigliosi e capaci di suscitare emozioni visive incredibili, tanto che la sua collezione Underwater Oasis è pura poesia!

Potete trovare maggiori informazioni su Milla sulla sua pagina Instagram mentre sul suo sito web potrete vedere le sue opere e ricevere informazioni su eventi e mostre in corso dove sarà possibile vederle di persona.
È possibile fissare appuntamenti privati ​​per visionare le opere presso il suo studio a Espoo, in Finlandia.
Tutte le sue opere sono disponibili per l’acquisto tramite contatto diretto attraverso il suo sito web o la pagina Instagram, con tutte le vendite gestite direttamente con l’artista

Marine

Flowers

Abstracts

Exhibitions

A solo exhibition is planned for the end of the year, offering a deeper look into the artist’s latest work. Further details will be shared closer to the opening

 

 

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Virpi Lehtinen welcomes us into her fairytale world, a mix of fantasy and dreams

Today I’m delighted to introduce you to Finnish artist Virpi Lehtinen, who lives in Vantaa, although her father’s roots are in Northern Lapland, in the village of Nellim, and therefore Inari Sami blood flows through her veins.
For me, having been to Lapland many times, it wasn’t difficult to understand that the mysticism and atmosphere that permeate her paintings are a sign of her deep Sami heritage.
Speaking to Virpi herself, she told me that when she closes her eyes, her imagination leads her to paint landscapes inspired by fairy tales, song lyrics, and memories of her childhood trips to Lapland.
The first impression I had when I looked out over the breathtaking panoramas of Lapland on my first trip above the Arctic Circle was that of feeling transported to another dimension of peace and tranquility, and it’s exactly the same feeling I found when looking at Virpi’s paintings, especially when they invite you for a walk in the forest. It truly feels like entering a fairytale world where you can encounter anything, from a fox waiting to play hide-and-seek or a squirrel challenging you to find the first acorn along the path you’re walking, not to mention the mosses exuding fantastic colors.
Virpi’s story as an artist is very unique because she came to painting not as a young woman but only recently after being attacked in 2020 by a very rare form of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). This forced her to leave the job she had been doing with passion and great success for almost 30 years in the restaurant industry, where as a restaurant manager she welcomed everyone from ministers to nursery school children in what may at first glance seem like just a simple job but in reality is also a true art of hospitality.
In 2020, she noticed that her vision was no longer clear, and after extensive medical tests, she was diagnosed with this condition, sometimes also called a pseudo brain tumor.
A subtle disease that causes headaches, vision loss, tinnitus, dizziness, depression, and nausea.
For the first two years, Virpi sank into a state of depression and confusion, until she received painting materials as a Christmas gift, and from that moment, her artistic journey began.
Having taken a period of sick leave from which she is still recovering, Virpi, with the help of a YouTube tutorial and with great passion, began to create her works, fruit of her imagination, very colorful and full of emotion, works that are meant to convey to those who see them for the first time.
She currently paints with only one eye, because her eyes are so different and unique that she can’t wear glasses. One eye only sees close up (5-15 centimeters), while the other only sees at a distance of 2-3 meters, but neither can see at intermediate distances. For this reason, she often paints with the canvas on her lap.
Today, for Virpi, painting is above all about survival, and this passion was born during a time when she lost a lot, but at the same time discovered something completely new within herself.
2025 was a turning point for Virpi, who began sharing her art on social media and subsequently received invitations from several art galleries to present her works to the public.
Her first exhibition was held in March 2025 at the Museum of Technology, and there have been many others since.
Today, her paintings hang in nearly 30 homes across Finland, and one even in Singapore.
Virpi can barely believe how art has helped her survive and rediscover the joy of living a colorful life!
All her paintings are painted and finished at the edges, ready to be hung and varnished.
She is a member of the Helsinki Art Association.
More information about her works can be found on her Instagram and Facebook pages and on her website, where some of her works are available for sale.

Virpi Lehtinen ci accoglie nel suo mondo di fiaba tra un mix di fantasia e sogni

Con grande piacere oggi vi presento l’artista finlandese Virpi Lehtinen che vive a Vantaa anche se le sue radici da parte di padre affondano nella Lapponia settentrionale nel villaggio di Nellim  e nelle sue vene scorre quindi sangue Sami Inari.
Per me che sono stato molte volte in Lapponia non è stato difficile comprendere  che il misticismo e l’atmosfera che permeano i suoi dipinti siano il segno che le deriva dal profondo della sua eredità Sami.
Parlando con Virpi lei stessa mi ha detto che quando chiude gli occhi la sua immaginazione la porta a dipingere paesaggi ispirati a fiabe, testi di canzoni e ricordi dei suoi viaggi d’infanzia in Lapponia.
La prima impressione che ho avuto quando mi sono affacciato nel mio primo viaggio sopra il Circolo Polare Artico sui panorami mozzafiato della Lapponia è stata quella di sentirmi trasportato in un’altra dimensione fatta di pace e tranquillità ed è proprio la stessa sensazione che ho ritrovato nel guardare i dipinti di Virpi soprattutto quando ti invitano a fare un giro nella foresta dove veramente sembra di entrare in un mondo di fiabe dove si può incontrare di tutto, da una volpe che ti aspetta per giocare a nascondino o uno scoiattolo che ti sfida a chi trova la prima ghianda lungo il sentiero che stai percorrendo, per non parlare dei muschi che trasudano colori fantastici.
La storia di Virpi come artista è molto particolare perché è arrivata alla pittura non da giovane ma solo recentemente  dopo essere  stata aggredita nel 2020 da una rarissima forma di ipertensione intracranica idiopatica (IIH) che l’ha costretta a lasciare il lavoro che svolgeva con passione e grande successo da quasi 30 anni nell’ambito della ristorazione dove come responsabile di ristorante ha accolto tutti, dai ministri ai bambini dell’asilo nido in quello che può sembrare a prima vista solo un lavoro semplice ma in realtà è anche questa una vera e propria arte dell’accoglienza.
Nel 2020 ha notato che la sua vista non era più nitida e a seguito di approfonditi accertamenti clinici è arrivata la diagnosi di questa patologia che talvolta viene anche chiamata pseudo tumore cerebrale.
Una malattia subdola che causa mal di testa, perdita della vista, acufeni,vertigini,depressione e nausea.
Virpi è sprofondata per i primi due anni in uno stato di depressione e confusione, fino a quando non ha ricevuto in regalo per Natale del materiale per dipingere e da quel momento è partito l’inizio del suo percorso artistico.
Avendo preso un periodo di congedo per malattia che la vede ancora oggi convalescente Virpi con l’aiuto di un tutorial su YouTube e con tanta passione ha iniziato a creare le sue opere frutto della sua immaginazione, opere molto colorate e piene di emozioni da trasmettere a chi le vedrà per la prima volta.
Attualmente dipinge con un solo occhio, perché i suoi occhi sono così diversi e particolari che non riesce a indossare gli occhiali, perché un occhio vede solo da vicino (5-15 centimetri) mentre l’altro solo a una distanza di 2-3 metri, ma nessuno dei due vede a distanze intermedie, e per questo motivo molto spesso dipinge tenendo la tela in grembo.
Oggi per Virpi dipingere significa soprattutto sopravvivenza, e questa passione è nata in un periodo in cui ha perso molto, ma allo stesso tempo ha scoperto qualcosa di completamente nuovo dentro di se.
Il 2025 è stato un anno di svolta per Virpi che ha iniziato a condividere la sua arte sui social media ricevendo di conseguenza  inviti da alcune gallerie d’arte per presentare al pubblico le sue opere.
La sua prima mostra si è tenuta nel marzo 2025 al Museo della Tecnologia e da allora ce ne sono state molte altre.
Oggi i suoi quadri sono appesi in quasi 30 case in tutta la Finlandia, e uno persino a Singapore.
Virpi sembra quasi non credere a come l’arte l’abbia aiutata a sopravvivere e a riscoprire la gioia di vivere una vita a colori!
Tutti i suoi quadri sono dipinti e rifiniti nei bordi, pronti per essere appesi e verniciati.
E’ un membro dell’Associazione Artistica di Helsinki.
Maggiori informazioni sulla sua attività si possono trovare sulle sue pagine social Instagram e Facebook e sul  sito web dove si possono trovare alcune delle sue opere in vendita

Virpi Lehtinen _ Viimeinen valo – Last Light
Virpi Lehtinen _ Aamu merellä – Morning at sea
Virpi Lehtinen _ Mökki Porvoossa – Cottage in Porvoo

 

Exhibitions

March 14-March 31, 2025 Zarin Gallery, Helsinki Museum of Technology
April 29-May 17, 2025 Group Exhibition “Landscapes,” Kookos Gallery, Helsinki
May 14-May 25, 2025 Spring Exhibition, Pisto Gallery, Vantaa
November 3-November 28, 2025 Pisto Gallery, own exhibition, Vantaa
December 1, 2025-January 6, 2026 Christmas Card Exhibition, Kajaani
December 6, 2025-February 7, 2026 Group Exhibition “Light into the Darkness,” Om’Pun Gallery, Helsinki
February 2, 2026 Social Media Exhibition Art Person of the Month, Helsinki Art Association
March 10-March 22, 2026 Flora & Fauna Group Exhibition, Alli Gallery, Kerava
August 2026 Helsinki Outlets
24.8.-12.9.2026, Tikkurila Library

 

Kaisa Sirén and the art of making the invisible visible

Kaisa Sirén lives in Rovaniemi, within the Arctic Circle of Finnish Lapland, where she works as a freelance photographer and artist.
She studied photojournalism in Canada but moved back to Finland after her studies.
Her works are widely published in various Finnish magazines and newspapers, and she have had several solo and group exhibitions in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, USA and Germany
She is a photographic artist who makes the landscape of her soul visible with Intentional Camera Movement, using the northern landscapes of Finland as a backdrop.
She focuses on themes related to the seasons of Lapland and the sensitivity of nature.
She selects subjects from nature and transforms them into elements that were initially absent, thus visualizing the invisible.
She is the co-founder of the ICM Photo Academy, where she teaches ICM photography courses both in person and online.
Since 2017, she has run an art gallery called Villa Vinkkeli in her hometown.
Then she started to focus fully on ICM photography and making art.
Kaisa realized she was invisible as a child, which led her to feel somewhat of an outsider even as an adult.
ICM offers a way to make invisible feelings and repressed emotions visible.
When taking a photo with ICM, the movement of the camera can create elements that weren’t initially present in the scene and bring hidden things to light.
It retains the same serendipity and element of surprise that have always accompanied her throughout her life.
These are some of the foundations of her art today.
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) is a playful, expressive approach to photography that invites the photographer to let go of strict representation and start creating images that feel as much as they show.
The technique behind ICM is to use a relatively long shutter speed, something like 0,5 or 1 second to start with, and deliberately move the camera during the exposure.
The results vary depending on the time, the speed and size of the movement and the lens being used as well as many other factors. With time you can learn to control the movements and create intentional results but there is always an element of surprise involved

Read and see more on Kaisa:
www.artistkaisasiren.com
www.icmphotoacademy.com
Instagram page
Facebook page
email contact:  kuva@kaisasiren.fi

Kaisa Sirén e l’arte di rendere visibile l’invisibile

Kaisa Sirén vive a Rovaniemi, nel Circolo Polare Artico della Lapponia finlandese, dove lavora come fotografa e artista freelance.
Ha studiato fotogiornalismo in Canada, ma è tornata in Finlandia dopo gli studi.
Le sue opere sono ampiamente pubblicate su diverse riviste e giornali finlandesi e ha tenuto numerose mostre personali e collettive in Finlandia, Svezia, Danimarca, Scozia, Stati Uniti e Germania.
È un’artista della fotografia che rende visibile il paesaggio della sua anima attraverso un movimento intenzionale della fotocamera, utilizzando come sfondo i paesaggi settentrionali della Finlandia.
Si concentra su temi legati alle stagioni della Lapponia e alla sensibilità della natura.
Sceglie soggetti dalla natura e li trasforma in elementi inizialmente assenti, visualizzando così l’invisibile.
È co-fondatrice dell’ICM Photo Academy, dove insegna corsi di fotografia ICM sia di persona che online.
Dal 2017 gestisce una galleria d’arte chiamata Villa Vinkkeli nella sua città natale.
Successivamente ha iniziato a dedicarsi completamente alla fotografia ICM e alla creazione artistica.
Kaisa si rese conto di essere invisibile fin da bambina, il che la portò a sentirsi in qualche modo un’emarginata anche da adulta.
L’ICM offre un modo per rendere visibili sentimenti invisibili ed emozioni represse.
Quando si scatta una foto con l’ICM, il movimento della fotocamera può creare elementi inizialmente non presenti nella scena e portare alla luce cose nascoste.
Mantiene la stessa serendipità e lo stesso elemento di sorpresa che l’hanno sempre accompagnata nel corso della sua vita.
Questi sono alcuni dei fondamenti della sua arte odierna.
Il movimento intenzionale della fotocamera (ICM) è un approccio ludico ed espressivo alla fotografia che invita il fotografo ad abbandonare la rappresentazione rigida e a iniziare a creare immagini che trasmettano emozioni oltre che immagini.
La tecnica alla base dell’ICM consiste nell’utilizzare un tempo di posa relativamente lungo, ad esempio 0,5 o 1 secondo per iniziare, e muovere deliberatamente la fotocamera durante l’esposizione.
I risultati variano a seconda del tempo, della velocità e dell’ampiezza del movimento, dell’obiettivo utilizzato e di molti altri fattori.
Con il tempo si può imparare a controllare i movimenti e a creare risultati intenzionali, ma l’elemento sorpresa è sempre presente.

Leggi e guarda di più su Kaisa:
www.artistkaisasiren.com
www.icmphotoacademy.com
Instagram page
Facebook page
contatto email :  kuva@kaisasiren.fi

Polar Night

As a December girl polar night is my favourite time of the year. When November falls and the first snow covers the ground I am home! The short days mean that we go directly from sunrise to sunset and have the most stunning colors during those short hours of daylight. It is the time to go out with the camera

The Most Resilient 

I have visited Antarctica three times and it is by far my favourite continent. and the favourite creature is the emperor pengune. They have chosen the most peculiar strategy for survival wintering in those harsh conditions while incubating the egg. They must be the most curious and the most resilient creatures of us all.

Pelican Brief

In January 2026 I travelled to northern Greece, to Lake Kerkini, with a single intention: to photograph Dalmatian pelicans. I had seen images of these immense, almost improbable birds and felt a growing pull to meet them in their winter gathering place. I did not go in search of landscape or light. I went for the birds – and to see what might happen when their movement met my camera moves.

Wood Wide Web

My series Wood Wide Web has been inspired by the book Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, (2016). In the book Wohlleben describes his studies and observations about the life of trees during his long career as a forester. He talks about the ability the trees have, to communicate, form communities, to alarm each other and take care of their offspring and elders. The observations may be difficult to prove scientifically and equally difficult to photograph. In my attempts to make the phenomena visual I use a technique called Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). It is a technique during which the camera is moved during a long exposure. Thanks to ICM the images may have elements, which bring unseen stories or actions visible. It may form layers to the images which make room to the imagination of the viewer.  With this series I want to bring out the importance of trees to us humans as well as that they may be much more complex than we ever have thought. Wise old trees, they need our respect.

Iceberg Graveyard

I have always been drawn to the beauty the Arctic and Antarctic landscapes provide. This body of work illustrates vanishing ice of the polar regions initiated by climate change. The work is a collection of poetic abstractions, depicting the progression of global warming. The polar regions are more rapidly affected than many other areas on the globe. Unfortunately, the vastness of the problem is not yet well comprehended, due to lack of human habitation in those remote areas. These images are impressions of the beauty this world represents and the impending loss we face.

Lost in Venice

In January 2025 I had a chance to participate in a photography workshop in Venice. Before departure I did some homework and set my goals what I want out of the workshop. I learnt about the work of a German painter Wolf Bertram Becker who had been painting Venice buildings in and impressionistic, almost ICM style. This was a great inspiration for me and gave me direct guidelines about what I would be looking for besides the iconic vistas in the city. The next images are of his painting which served as my inspiration.

Dancing My Nature

This has been an exciting project photographing dancers out in the nature during our 7 seasons in Lapland. With these images I want to celebrate the precious nature we have in the North and also bring hope that it will stay for the future generations. I hope that the dances will convey the special light and colours we have in different seasons.

 

Dream

Earlier I slept well and had strong, colourful dreams. A long time ago, I suffered a burnout, lost my dreams and a good sleeping pattern. Now that my life is balanced again the dreams are slowly coming back. In this series I visualise the struggles, but yet how more light, harmony and colour has become more apparent in my life. And this has been achieved thru doing in life what I love.

Indian Flashes

These images are taken during my visit to India in 2018. It was a sudden unexpected journey as my nephew got married and I was invited to the wedding. I decided to not take it as a photography trip but rather just go and explore the colours and the feeling of the New Delhi streets as much as possible. It turned our to be a colour galore and just perfect for ICM. I did not take any traditional images which was also very liberating. I just concentrated on the wonderful colours of the Indian street and enjoyed the transformation I was able to create with ICM.

Rainforest People of Papua

One of my dreams became true in august 2025 as I was able to travel to Papua New Guinea and attend a local cultural festival, Sing-Sing of Mt Hagen. It is a country of more than 1000 tribes and 850 languages. They still lead a very traditional jungle life and collect food from the forests.  The festival was a mixture of chaos, screaming, dancing, marching, singing and a kaleidoscope of colours. For three days I was able to observe, participate and answer to the countless smiles.

Suomen talvi – Finnish winter seen through the eyes of 12 Finnish artists

Winter is the longest season in Finland, lasting about 200 days in Lapland and 3-4 months in the southern part of the country.
Temperatures in the north of the country are usually below freezing for most of the winter, providing a sense of absolute peace and crystal-clear air.
A fairytale landscape will unfold before your eyes, with abundant snow, frozen lakes, and the chance to admire the Northern Lights, the icing on the cake.
In Lapland, everything seems muffled, with the snow reflecting an almost unreal light, even illuminating the polar night.
The first snow of the season, “ Ensilumi ” in Finnish, is always a very exciting moment, eagerly awaited by Finns, and its arrival, given the large size of Finland, which extends for over 1000 kilometers from north to south, can vary depending on where you are.
In Lapland, which lies mostly above the Arctic Circle, the first snow arrives as early as September, although I happened to encounter it many years ago in late June during the car transfer from Ivalo Airport to Inari.
Finland is a wonderful country that I recommend visiting in any season, but if you want to see it at its most elegant and fascinating, choose winter!
Thinking about Finnish winter I had the idea to ask twelve incredibly talented Finnish artists to show us “ Suomen talvi “  through their eyes, and I must say, the result of this experiment is truly astonishing, as you’ll see
In the article, along with a brief introduction to the artist, you’ll find two paintings: the first is her  “ Suomen talvi  “ and the second is one of her favorites
I invite you to visit their social media pages and websites to better understand their talent.
If you are interested in some of their works, the artists could reserve a small discount for the readers of my Blog
To Satu Kekäläinen, Mari Knuuttila, Meria Q, Paula Mikkilä, Milla Piirainen, Taru Rouhiainen, Minna Scheinin, Saila Seppo, Kaisa Sirén, Maj Sjö, Martina Uthardt, Liisa Viima, I extend my heartfelt thanks for making my idea possible

Satu Kekäläinen 

Satu Kekäläinen, she was born in Helsinki, but after living in various places across Finland, she currently lives in Lieto.
Ice is a sort of common thread that has accompanied Satu throughout her life, but artistically it all began in 2015 when, needing to find strength and breathe fresh air, she immersed herself in the nature of nearby Lake Littoistenjärvi, and since it was winter, she began photographing with her camera the figures she saw in the lake ice.
You can see her works on her Instagram and Facebook pages  and website
For Suomen talvi , she presents: Winter Fairy – aluminium print 30 × 40 cm edition 1/10 – photographed under a blue sky in the sunshine with a macro mirroring function from ice collected from Finnish winter nature
As a second works, she presents: The Soul of the Water – aluminium print 30 × 40 cm edition 1/10 – macro photography of ice collected from nature in winter in the colors and energies of blue anemones in spring

Mari Knuuttila 

Mari Knuuttila born in Lapua, a town located in Southern Ostrobothnia and where she currently lives and creates her works in her studio.
Mari has been painting for about seven years, although her main profession is that of Chief Inspector at the State Administrative Agency, a role that requires strict compliance with laws and regulations.
Through painting, Mari has found a way to give free rein to her visual art, free from rules or pre-established patterns.
You can find more information about Mari on her Instagram and Facebook pages and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents: Winter Silence – acrylic / mixed media on canvas 89 x 115 cmthis work captures the quiet strength of the Nordic winter – a frozen horizon where light and shadow meet in stillness. Layers of texture reflect frost, earth and the silent breath of the northern landscape.
As a second painting she presents: With You – mixed media on canvas 80.5 x 65 cm a layered field of ochre and shadow speaks of intimacy, memory and silent strength. The surface carries traces of time, emotion and the quiet power of being together.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

Meria Q aka Merja Sipiläinen-Kuhlberg

Merja Sipiläinen-Kuhlberg  was born in Artjärvi (Lake of Art in english) but lives in Turku, a beautiful city on the west coast of Finland.
Meria Q became interested in art as a young girl, sketching evening dresses in her notebooks, and she cultivated this interest as a teenager by designing fabric prints.
As often happens, life sometimes takes strange turns, and Meria Q, abandoning her passion for art, took a different direction that led her into the world of marketing and business.
However, in early 2010, her artistic creativity reawakened and has been unstoppable ever since.
She held her first solo exhibition in 2018, followed by numerous others.
You can find more information about Meria Q on her Instagram page and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  First snow on the mountains – watercolour 19×14 cm, 2020 – this wonderful painting, which is a hymn to the joy of the first snow falling on the mountains, is part of the series that Merja Q has dedicated to Lapland.
As a second painting she presents: Poppies – watercolour 28×38 cm, 2023 – these wonderful poppies are fragile red spots, which in the middle of a field can give the hearts of sensitive people incredible emotions.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

 

Paula Mikkilä

Paula Mikkilä born in Karvia, a hidden pearl of Finland surrounded by the wonderful rural landscapes of the Karvianjoki river, but resident in Tampere for over twenty years.
She graduated from the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Jyväskylä as a teacher specializing in fine arts and has dedicated a good part of her life to teaching as an elementary school teacher sharing much of her creative moments with children and teenagers.
In the 80s she created a considerable quantity of oil paintings, then after her move to Tampere she devoted herself to bronze sculpture and for almost twenty years in the evenings after her school work she went to the foundry.
Working with bronze is not easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding, like the material itself, which, once transformed into a work of art, can convey incredible emotions.
Paula draws inspiration for her works from her surroundings: home, nature, animals, and people, who, once part of her creative process, tell stories and fairy tales that take on an imaginative life of their own.
You can find more information about Paula on her Instagram page and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  Two white spruces – acrylic, 40×40 cm, 2020  – this very beautiful painting is part of the series  “Sheltered by the Forest”
As a second work she presents: Two spruces – bronze, 29/26/13 cm, 2018 – a beautiful bronze statue depicting two spruces
Both works are available for purchase on her website.

Milla Piirainen

Milla Piirainen is a Helsinki-based visual artist.
Her work is characterized by a versatile use of colors, materials, and techniques, through which she portrays human experiences and natural phenomena.
She works with acrylic, oil, and mixed media and primarily uses a palette knife, with which she has created her distinctive, layered, and vividly textured painting style.
Her works do not settle for a merely aesthetic impression but invite the viewer to explore deeper meanings and emotions that art can evoke.
She is primarily a marine painter, and the sea is a subject she returns to again and again. Flowers are also part of her artistic expression. The interplay of the characteristic colors and forms of the sea and flowers offers her endless possibilities for creativity
You can find more information about Milla on her Instagram page and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  Purpura – oil on canvas 82 x 92 cm (with frame) – in this stream flowing between snow-covered trees, Milla used shades of violet and purple to paint the shadows on the snow and the reflections in the icy water. At first glance, we are greeted by a magical atmosphere where light plays a fundamental role. A very beautiful painting!
As a second painting she presents: Light –  acrylic on canvas 70 x 60 diptych – This work is a treatise on light and shadow. While painting, she tell the viewer stories about the beauty that surrounds me. Light and shadow go hand in hand like lovers. This story is about love. Light, light.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

Taru Rouhiainen 

Taru Rouhiainen born in Hyvinkää but currently lives  in Vantaa.
Taru’s is one of those stories that shows us how not only painting, but art in general, can be the best medicine for overcoming difficult times.
In 2020, after the crisis, Taru found herself needing something that would allow her not only to stay busy but also to process and express her feelings.And so, making a life-changing choice, she enrolled in a painting course and fell in love with art!
Before discovering painting, she had always appreciated colors and, above all, their effect on our emotions, bringing joy into our homes.
You can find more information about Taru on her Instagram and Facebook pages and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  White noise mixed medium in canvas90×70 cm – in this abstract work Taru makes us understand how she loves to play with colors, layers and textures that make her work full of emotions, stories and energy.
As a second painting she presents:  Waterlilly  mixed medium on canvas 73×60 cm – this painting is part of the “Lummelampi” series and is inspired by the famous Water Lilies series by Monet, reinterpreting the theme with a material and contemporary style, depicting pink and white water lilies floating on a pond in blue and green tones, with bold brushstrokes that create a sense of movement of the water.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

Minna Scheinin

Minna Scheinin was born in Turku, a beautiful city on the west coast of Finland, where she lived for a long time before moving to Kaarina, where she currently lives.
Minna often visits Italy, where she has a home on Lake Iseo, and she says this Italian experience has greatly influenced her artistic development.
She worked for many years as a foreign language teacher ( Swedish and English ) and was responsible for pedagogical development  and online teaching at her University of applied sciences.
In 2011, she successfully completed a professional photography course at the New York Institute of Photography ( online ) and in 2013, she earned a degree in editorial graphics.
Since then, her photographic work has transformed into an artistic journey where her creativity has finally found a way to express itself through her art.
Minna expresses her art through photography, which plays a primary role, but also through painting and mosaics.
In photography, she began studying the ICM ( Intentional Camera Movement ) technique, which began a journey that led her to essentially paint with the camera, intentionally moving it during the exposure.
Nature is her greatest source of inspiration, and the deepest essence of her images is the beauty that surrounds us and often goes unnoticed.
You can find more information about Minna’s artistic work on her Instagram page   and  these are her email addresses : scheinin.minna@gmail.com minna@scheinin.fi
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  Winter night – acrylic painting, 42 x 29,7 cm – with this painting, Minna managed to recreate the magical atmosphere of a Finnish winter night and embellished the painting with small fragments of glass capable of giving it a natural brilliance typical of the wonderful polar night.
As a second work she presents:  Snowballs  – photograph with this very suggestive image Minna has captured a winter phenomenon in which small accumulations of snow or frost settle on the tips of common reeds (Phragmites australis) that emerge from partially frozen bodies of water with bright reflections created by the sun
Both works  are available for purchase on her website.

Saila Seppo

Saila Seppo  was born in Kouvola but moved to Sastamala at the age of 1 or 2.
She studied in Espoo and currently live in Helsinki from a long time.
She worked at the Kemira factory in Pori and has worked and continues to work for the Research Council of Finland.
She is a member of the Helsinki Art AssociationEspoo Art, and the Finnish Artists’ Association.
Saila is undoubtedly a multifaceted artist, and for her, the most important thing in art is the ability to create a new, diverse, and colorful work of art.
Saila holds a PhD in chemistry and a degree in technology, and thanks to these studies, she has a deep understanding of materials and pigments. This offers her a wide range of artistic possibilities, which she translates into her works, which closely resemble naive art, but in this case, I would say technological.
Thanks to her research, Saila created Sisusavi®, a material developed from natural ingredients that works well with all types of dyes, giving paintings a vivid surface and vibrant colors.
Sisusavi® is a soft, water-based, moldable mass that can be colored with pigments or vegetable dyes and hardens at room temperature through water evaporation.
Sisusavi® is a natural microcellulose material that contains no clay or plastic dyes, and the mass reproduces even the smallest details.
This product, entirely developed by Saila, is available for sale on Greenbutton.fi.
More information about Saila can be found on her social media pages, Instagram and Facebook, and on her website, sailaseppoart.fi,
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  SnowSisusavi® and pigments on canvas, 47×55 cm – this large snow-covered tree, surrounded by a blanket of snow and kissed by the sun, has a naive, almost artisanal feel and the cracking effect due to the use of Sisusavi® makes it almost look like a material mosaic.
As a second painting she presents:  Flowers on Display – Sisusavi® and pigments on canvas, 40×59 cm – this work is part of the Sisusavi® project which stands out for its naive and material artistic style, characterised by a vibrant use of colour and three-dimensional textures that convey a sense of joy.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

Kaisa Sirén

Kaisa Sirén lives in Rovaniemi, within the Arctic Circle of Finnish Lapland, where she works as a freelance photographer and artist.
She is a photographic artist who makes the landscape of her soul visible with Intentional Camera Movement, using the northern landscapes of Finland as a backdrop.
She focuses on themes related to the seasons of Lapland and the delicacy of nature.
She selects subjects from nature and transforms them into elements that were initially absent, thus visualizing the invisible.
She is the co-founder of the ICM Photo Academy, where she teaches ICM photography courses both in person and online.
She has held several solo and group exhibitions in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, the United States, and Germany, and since 2017, she has run an art gallery called Villa Vinkkeli in her hometown.
Her artistic focus is entirely on ICM photography and artistic creation.
ICM offers a way to make invisible feelings and repressed emotions visible.
When taking a photo in ICM, camera movement can create elements that were initially absent in the scene, making invisible elements visible.
This technique possesses the same randomness and element of surprise that have always accompanied Kaisa throughout her life.
More information about Kaisa can be found on her social media pages, Instagram and Facebook, and on her website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  First Snow – acrylic painting, 2025, unframed 60x80cm – in this Arctic landscape, Kaisa captures the magical moment of the first snowfall covering the autumn vegetation. The contrast between the warm tones (red and pink) of the earth and the cold tones (blue and grey) of the sky is her stylistic signature, with which she seeks to make visible the “invisible” emotions and sensations of nature. Also noteworthy is the vegetation (the red and purple marks in the foreground) which are transformed into abstract shapes.
As a second work she presents:  Solitude – photograph, 2025, unframed 30x40cm – this beautiful photograph by Kaisa, where the minimalist aspect of the scene prevails, leads us to a reflection on solitude which is not necessarily a negative feeling but in this case a condition of deep connection with the wild nature of Lapland.
Both works are available for purchase on her website.

MAJ SJÖ 

Maj SJÖ, born in Helsinki, where she has a studio space in Kaapelitehdas, Finland’s largest cultural centre, but currently lives in Espoo where she also creates in her home studio.
When I first saw MaJ’s works, I immediately understood how she managed to capture and convey in her art all those small and large miracles that life can give us day after day.
Her collection of works on the Archipelago and in general on everything that is sea or water (after all, her surname SJÖ in Swedish means lake/sea) can convey incredible emotions and for those like me who have experienced the magic that Hanko can convey, looking at her paintings that portray her means reliving moments of indescribable joy and serenity.
You can find more information about Maj  on her Instagram  and Facebook pages and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  Winter Magic – oil on canvas, 2022, 100 x 80 cm – this painting features an ethereal, almost magical style, typical of Nordic illustrations, where snow and soft light create a suspended, enchanted atmosphere. The almost monochromatic choice, with a strong emphasis on white and elongated shadows (like that of the fox in the center), is a distinctive element that evokes the silence and solitude of Nordic winter landscapes.
As a second painting she presents:  What a Lady! – oil on canvas, 2023, 50 x 50 cm – in the background of this painting you can see a famous Helsinki landmark (Havis Amanda), which makes it very Finnish.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

Martina Uthardt 

Martina Uthardt, born in Malax, where she currently lives in this big village and welcoming of about 5000 inhabitants in Southern Ostrobothnia, where Swedish is spoken rather than Finnish (about 6% of Finns speak Swedish)
After a 10-year stint running a photography agency specializing in portraits, Martina has dedicated herself fully to painting professionally since 2021.
She has experimented with various techniques but currently prefers acrylic painting with its possibilities for layering and variations that make each painting alive and unique in different lights.
When I first saw Martina’s paintings, I was struck by how this artist was able to perfectly represent the Finland I love so much.
You can find more information about Martina  on her Instagram and Facebook  pages and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  Just Breathe – acrylic on canvas, 2021,  65 x 81 cm – this painting is intended to evoke a moment of pause and awareness, an invitation to slow down and take a breath of fresh air through the delicate pink and white tones contrasted by bold graphic lines. It is part of her abstract art collection, characterized by a style she herself defines as “mindful” allowing colors and shapes to play freely on the canvas.
As a second painting she presents:  Togetherness – acrylic on canvas, 2025,  100 x 81 cm – the painting depicts two swans swimming side by side under a large full moon in a Nordic landscape at night. The artist has described it as a “must-see” subject, conveying feelings of calm and beauty. The work explores the theme of connection and harmony, using swans as symbols of loyalty and enduring love.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

Liisa Viima 

Liisa Viima, born in Oulu and currently based in Espoo.
Although she began painting as a teenager and dreamed of becoming a professional artist, she chose a more conventional path, earning a master’s degree in economics and dedicating herself to her family, including raising two daughters and caring for horse – her lifelong passion.
After facing significant life challenges, Liisa experienced a personal transformation that led her back to her original calling: painting.
Her mission became clear – to bring joy and beauty into the world through her art.
Liisa’s style is contemporary and abstract, often infused with elements of realism, surrealism, and even whimsy.
Recurring themes in her work include humanity, love, and forgiveness, expressed through symbolic imagery such as faces, hearts, stars, hands, the moon, pigeons and also horses.
For Liisa, horses represent courage and nobility values that have guided her life and artistic journey.
You can find more information about Liisa  on her Instagram and Facebook  pages and website
For Suomen talvi  she presents:  Mattitja – mixed media. Acrylic, oil, plaster reliefs, brick, mica pigment and epoxy, 2025, 90c90x4cm – from her Modern Icons collection – This painting explores the identity and deep awareness of being and includes some recurring symbols in the works of this artist, such as the dove (symbol of peace), the burning heart and floral motifs that evoke themes of spiritual awakening and love.
As a second painting she presents:  Ani Ormixed media. Acrylic, oil, plaster reliefs, brick, mica pigment and epoxy, 2026, 90c90x4cm – from her Modern Icons collection – this painting features a central figure with a golden halo, surrounded by purple roses, a dove in her hand, and a pulsating red heart on her chest. Liisa’s style, characterized by an expressive use of color, bold textures, and the integration of symbolic and spiritual elements, truly emerges.
Both paintings are available for purchase on her website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Finland, the visual emotions captured by Minna Scheinin’s lens

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Finnish artist Minna Scheinin. She was born in Turku, a beautiful city on the west coast of Finland, where she lived for a long time before moving to Kaarina, where she currently lives.
Minna often visits Italy, where she has a home on Lake Iseo, and she says this Italian experience has greatly influenced her artistic development.
She worked for many years as a foreign language teacher ( Swedish and English ) and was responsible for pedagogical development  and online teaching at her University of applied sciences.
She became interested in photography at an early age, thanks to her mother’s passion for photography; Mom took a lot of photographs and in doing so she passed on the same passion to her.
Her career and the growth of her family left little room for creativity and art, although the camera has always been a faithful friend to Minna.
The turning point came in the 2000s when she was able to take a gap year from school to devote herself to studying photography.
In 2011, she successfully completed a professional photography course at the New York Institute of Photography ( online ) and in 2013, she earned a degree in editorial graphics. Since then, her photographic work has transformed into an artistic journey where her creativity has finally found a way to express itself through her art.
Minna expresses her art through photography, which plays a primary role, but also through painting and mosaics.
She came to painting thanks to the evolution of her artistic mindset, which also led her to try her hand at painting after long thinking she couldn’t draw. From what can be seen in her works, abstract painting is for her a moment of experimentation in which to study contrasts and chromatic values, as well as shapes and compositions.
In photography, she began studying the ICM ( Intentional Camera Movement ) technique, which began a journey that led her to essentially paint with the camera, intentionally moving it during the exposure.
While photojournalism requires an authentic and therefore sharp image, in the ICM technique, blurring is the element that allows the viewers  to distance themselves from the real subject, leaving room for their own reflection and, consequently, a personal interpretation of the work they are observing.
Minna considers herself not only an omnivorous but, above all, passionate experimenter, and in her works she loves to create unique atmospheres, often very tranquil and permeated by a persistent and reflective atmosphere where colors, light, shadows, and contrasts play a primary role.
Nature is her greatest source of inspiration, and the deepest essence of her images is the beauty that surrounds us and often goes unnoticed. However, she also embraces urban environments, where, with the ICM, she manages to capture moments and moods that allow the viewers  to form their own personal interpretation.
For Minna, the starting point of her photographic art is to create an understanding of the simplicity and complexity of life.
On this fascinating topic, Minna sought inspiration in Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary, which revealed that many of life’s great questions have remained the same and unchanged for centuries: what are equality, vanity, morality?
Minna then wondered if photography could be used to obtain answers to these questions, demonstrating that happiness does not come from matter, but from a good life, where things are in balance, both for better and for worse.
But a good life doesn’t mean an easy or always happy life. All life also includes pain, worry, anxiety, sadness, anger, disappointment, and despair. They are the opposite of positive things, whose value is difficult to see or understand without this framework.
With her current photographic project created using ICM technology, Minna is trying to interpret all emotions from one extreme to the other, when the different extremes find a balance in everyday life, or not.
Minna has held a number of private and group exhibitions, mainly in the Turku region, but also in Rovaniemi.
You can find more information about Minna’s artistic work on her Instagram page   and  these are her email addresses : scheinin.minna@gmail.com minna@scheinin.fi

Dalla Finlandia le emozioni visive dell’obiettivo di Minna Scheinin

Oggi ho il piacere di presentarvi l’artista finlandese Minna Scheinin che è nata a Turku una splendida città sulla costa occidentale della Finlandia, qui ha vissuto a lungo prima di trasferirsi a Kaarina dove attualmente vive.
Minna viene spesso in Italia dove ha casa sul lago d’Iseo e questa sua frequentazione italiana a suo dire ha molto influenzato il suo percorso artistico.
Ha lavorato per molti anni come insegnante di lingue straniere ( svedese e inglese ), ed è stata responsabile dello sviluppo pedagogico nella sua  Università di scienze applicate.
Ha  iniziato ad interessarsi alla fotografia molto presto, grazie alla passione per la macchina fotografica della mamma che scattava molte fotografie e  le ha fatto da apripista in quella che nel tempo diventerà una vera e propria attività artistica.
La sua carriera lavorativa e la crescita della sua famiglia non hanno lasciato molto spazio alla creatività e all’arte anche se la macchina fotografica per Minna è sempre stata un’amica fedele.
La svolta è avvenuta negli anni 2000 quando ha avuto la possibilità di prendersi un anno sabbatico dalla scuola per dedicarsi allo studio della fotografia.
Nel 2011 ha completato con successo un corso di  fotografia professionale al New York Institute of Photography (online) e nel 2013 ha conseguito una laurea in grafica editoriale  e da allora il suo lavoro fotografico si è trasformato  in un percorso artistico dove la sua creatività ha finalmente trovato il modo di esprimersi attraverso la sua arte.
Minna esprime la sua arte attraverso la fotografia che ha un ruolo primario ma anche con la pittura e i mosaici.
Alla pittura è arrivata grazie all’evoluzione della sua mentalità artistica che l’ha portata anche a cimentarsi con la pittura dopo aver pensato per lungo tempo di non saper disegnare e da quello che si può vedere attraverso le sue opere la pittura astratta è per lei un momento di sperimentazione in cui studiare i contrasti ed i valori cromatici così come per le forme e le composizioni.
Nella fotografia ha iniziato a studiare la tecnica ICM  (Intentional Camera Movement) con la quale ha iniziato un percorso che l’ha portata in pratica a dipingere con la macchina fotografica muovendo intenzionalmente la fotocamera durante l’esposizione.
Se nel fotogiornalismo c’è la necessità di avere un’immagine autentica e quindi nitida nella tecnica ICM la sfocatura è l’elemento che consente al pubblico di allontanarsi dal soggetto reale per lasciare spazio alla propria riflessione e di conseguenza ad una interpretazione personale dell’opera che si sta osservando.
Minna si considera una sperimentatrice non solo onnivora ma soprattutto appassionata e nelle sue opere ama provare a creare atmosfere particolari, spesso molto tranquille e permeate da un’atmosfera persistente e riflessiva dove colori,luci,ombre e contrasti giocano un ruolo primario
La natura è la sua più grande fonte di ispirazione e l’essenza più profonda delle sue immagini è quella bellezza che ci circonda e che spesso passa inosservata, ma non disdegna però anche gli ambienti urbani dove con l’ICM riesce a rubare con il suo obiettivo momenti e stati d’animo in cui l’osservatore può arrivare ad una sua interpretazione personale.
Per Minna il punto di partenza della sua arte fotografica è creare una comprensione della semplicità e della complessità della vita.
Su questo tema appassionante Minna ha cercato la fonte nel Dizionario Filosofico di Voltaire, dal quale traspare che molti dei grandi interrogativi della vita sono rimasti gli stessi e immutati per secoli: cosa sono l’uguaglianza, la vanità, la moralità?
Minna si è quindi chiesta se la fotografia possa essere usata per ottenere risposte a queste domande, mostrando che la felicità non deriva dalla materia, ma da una buona vita, dove le cose sono in equilibrio, sia nel bene che nel male?
Ma una buona vita non significa una vita facile o sempre felice. Tutta la vita include anche dolori, preoccupazioni, ansia, tristezza, rabbia, delusioni, disperazione. Sono l’opposto delle cose positive, il cui valore è difficile da vedere o comprendere senza questa cornice.
Con il suo attuale progetto fotografico realizzato con la tecnica ICM,  Minna sta provando a interpretare tutte le emozioni da un estremo all’altro, quando i diversi estremi trovano un equilibrio nella vita di tutti i giorni, oppure no.
Minna ha realizzato un buon numero di mostre tra private e collettive, principalmente nella regione di Turku, ma anche a Rovaniemi.
Potete trovare maggiori informazioni sull’attività artistica di Minna sulla sua pagina Instagram   e questi sono i suoi indirizzi email: scheinin.minna@gmail.comminna@scheinin.fi

Photographs taken using ICM technique

Asunheinikossa – Minna Scheinin
Blue Venice – Minna Scheinin
Butterflies – Minna Scheinin

Watercolors

Hauskuutus – Minna Scheinin

Mosaics

Geisha_suojaruukku – Minna Scheinin
Mosaic Mural – Minna Scheinin

Minna and the ice

Minna Scheinin at work 2025

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Colours Matter – Colours Matter, Brinkhall Manor, Turku
2023 With Glass and Lenses, Waudevilla, Parainen
2018 Nature Pictures, Joutsen Medical Clinic, Loimaa
2017 Unreachable Stories – Encounters in Ecuador, Café Art, Turku
2012 Natura II: Galapagos – Fearless Islands, Pulssi  Window Gallery, Humalistonkatu 9-11, Turku
2011 Natura I: Poetic Images of Nature, Turku University of Applied Sciences ICT Building

 ENVIRONMENTAL ART
2025 Happiness, mosaic mural, 9m x 1.5m, Kaarina

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 Imaginary Worlds, Mökkigalleria, Kaarina
2021 A House Full of Artists. In conjunction with the Konstrunda and Rovaniemi Week events. Rovaniemi
2017 Time – Nature as a mirror of time, Kuusisto Art Manor, Kaarina
2012 Periscope, Workshop series and exhibition organized in connection with the 20th anniversary of Turku photography education, Photo Centre Peri, Turku
2011 2000 & 11 self-portraits, Turku Capital of Culture project, Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki
2011 2000 & 11 self-portraits, Turku Capital of Culture project, Turku Art Academy Cable Car Gallery
2011 2000 & 11 self-portraits, Turku Capital of Culture project, Turku University of Applied Sciences language teachers’ self-portrait exhibition, Turku University of Applied Sciences ICT building premises

 

 

 

 

Saila Seppo when naive art becomes technological through an explosion of colors that transmit joy

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Finnish artist Saila Seppo, she was born in Kouvola but moved to Sastamala at the age of 1 or 2.
She studied in Espoo and currently live in Helsinki from a long time.
She worked at the Kemira factory in Pori and has worked and continues to work for the Research Council of Finland.
She is a member of the Helsinki Art Association, Espoo Art, and the Finnish Artists’ Association.
Saila is undoubtedly a multifaceted artist, and for her, the most important thing in art is the ability to create a new, diverse, and colorful work of art.
Daughter of a greengrocer, she began creating flower bouquets as a child, and thus understands the importance of colors and their combinations.
Saila holds a PhD in chemistry and a degree in technology, and thanks to these studies, she has a deep understanding of materials and pigments. This offers her a wide range of artistic possibilities, which she translates into her works, which closely resemble naive art, but in this case, I would say technological.
Curiosity has accompanied her throughout her life and has been a sort of common thread that has followed her on all her travels, which have seen her reach and visit 47 countries!
For Saila, experiencing cultural differences is enriching, and being constantly on the move can only fuel creativity towards generating new ideas and inventions.
Throughout her artistic journey, Saila has never remained in a comfort zone through her travels, but rather has continually challenged herself, creating well-rounded art and even publishing four books, with a fifth soon to be released.
In the past, she has presented her technological inventions to Marimekko’s head of design. Regretting that she didn’t have an open position as an artist, she encouraged her to organize an art exhibition, considering Saila’s works to be pure art.
And so it was, Saila followed the path indicated to her and began organizing several solo exhibitions with the aim of offering the public the opportunity to enjoy them.
The spark that starts the process of creating a new work has always been the most important moment, followed by the execution, which can take a long time but not always, and the gradual development of the idea, which must transform into an engaging work, capable of repeatedly attracting the viewer’s attention, repeatedly conveying important moods such as playfulness, joy, calm, nature, and unity.
Thanks to her research, Saila created Sisusavi®, a material developed from natural ingredients that works well with all types of dyes, giving paintings a vivid surface and vibrant colors.
Sisusavi® is a soft, water-based, moldable mass that can be colored with pigments or vegetable dyes and hardens at room temperature through water evaporation.
Sisusavi® is a natural microcellulose material that contains no clay or plastic dyes, and the mass reproduces even the smallest details.
This product, entirely developed by Saila, is available for sale on Greenbutton.fi.
The paste is also used in watercolor art, and casein or glue can help the paste adhere to paper or fabric; Saila uses glue.
Saila collects wild plants and has cultivated marigolds, for example, to isolate their color in an aqueous solution, which is stored in bottles and used as a color in some of her works.
Speaking of curiosity, some of Saila’s paintings, in which she has used food coloring, become edible, much to the delight of children in particular.
More information about Saila can be found on her social media pages, Instagram and Facebook, and on her website, sailaseppoart.fi, where you can also find her works for sale.

Saila Seppo quando l’arte naif diventa tecnologica attraverso un’esplosione di colori che trasmettono gioia

Oggi ho il piacere di presentarvi l’artista finlandese Saila Seppo che è nata a Kouvola, ma si è trasferita a Sastamala all’età di 1-2 anni, ha studiato a Espoo e vive da molto a Helsinki.
Ha lavorato nello stabilimento dell’azienda Kemira a Pori e ha lavorato e lavora tuttora per il Consiglio di ricerca della Finlandia.
E’ membro dell’Helsinki Art Association, dell’Espoo Art e dell’Associazione degli Artisti Finlandesi.
Saila è sicuramente un’artista poliedrica e per lei quello che più conta nell’arte è il saper creare un’opera d’arte nuova, diversa e colorata.
Figlia di un ortolano ha iniziato a creare bouquet di fiori fin da bambina e quindi ha ben chiara l’importanza dei colori e del loro abbinamento.
Saila ha conseguito un dottorato in chimica e una laurea in tecnologia e grazie a questi suoi  studi conosce molto bene materiali e pigmenti fatto questo che le offre un ventaglio non indifferente di possibilità artistiche che trasferisce nelle sue opere che ricordano molto da vicino l’arte naif ma in questo caso direi tecnologica.
La curiosità l’ha accompagnata per tutta la vita ed è stata una sorta di fil rouge che l’ha seguita in tutti i suoi viaggi con i quali ha raggiunto e visitato ben 47 paesi!
Per Saila vivere le differenze culturali è qualcosa che arricchisce e l’essere sempre in movimento non può che alimentare la creatività verso la generazione di nuove idee e invenzioni.
Durante il suo percorso artistico Saila grazie ai suoi viaggi non è mai rimasta in una zona confort ma al contrario si è messa continuamente alla prova creando arte a tutto tondo e arrivando anche a pubblicare quattro libri, mentre un quinto è in uscita.
In passato ha presentato le sue invenzioni tecnologiche alla responsabile del design di Marimekko che rammaricandosi di non avere una posizione aperta come artista l’ha incoraggiata a organizzare una mostra d’arte, considerando i lavori di Saila a tutti gli effetti arte pura.
E così è stato, Saila ha seguito la strada che le è stata indicata è ha iniziato ad allestire diverse mostre personali con l’intento di poter dare la possibilità al pubblico di godersele
Da  sempre la scintilla che dà inizio al processo di creazione di una nuova opera è il momento più importante a cui seguono l’esecuzione che può richiedere molto tempo, ma non sempre e lo sviluppo graduale dell’idea che deve trasformarsi in un opera coinvolgente, capace di attirare più volte l’attenzione dell’osservatore trasferendogli a più riprese stati d’animo importanti quali giocosità, gioia, calma, natura e unione.
Grazie ai suoi studi Saila ha creato Sisusavi®, un materiale che ha sviluppato a partire da ingredienti naturali e che funziona bene con tutti i tipi di coloranti conferendo al dipinto una superficie vivida e con colori che appaiono brillanti.
Sisusavi® è una massa morbida, a base d’acqua e modellabile, che può essere colorata con pigmenti o coloranti vegetali e che indurisce a temperatura ambiente con l’evaporazione dell’acqua.
Sisusavi® è un materiale naturale, micro cellulosa e non contiene argilla o plastica coloranti e la massa riproduce anche i più piccoli dettagli.
Questo prodotto interamente sviluppato da Saila è in vendita su Greenbutton.fi
La massa viene utilizzata anche nell’arte dell’acquerello e la caseina o la colla possono aiutare la massa ad aderire alla carta o al tessuto, Saila usa la colla.
Saila raccoglie piante selvatiche e ha coltivato ad esempio la calendula  per isolarne il colore in una soluzione acquosa conservata in bottiglie e utilizzata come colore in alcune sue opere.
a proposito di curiosità, certi dipinti di Saila in cui ha utilizzato coloranti alimentari diventano commestibili per la gioia soprattutto dei bambini.
Maggiori informazioni su Saila si possono trovare sulle sue pagine social Instagram e Facebook e sul suo sito web sailaseppoart.fi dove troverete anche le sue opere in vendita.

Paintings

Saila Seppo – Our Sun
Saila Seppo – Floral Dress
Saila Seppo – House of Romance
Saila Seppo – Clouds, Flowers and the shimmering sea

Sculptures

Photographs

Next Exhibitions 2026

31.1. – 5.2.2026
Finland in Tokyo
Design Festa Gallery in Tokyo
2.3. – 23.3. 2026
Espoo Artin 50-vuotisjuhlanäyttely
Kaapelitehdas Puristamo, Helsinki
14.3. – 2.4. 2026
Lintutarha
Galleria Art Frida, Korkeavuorenkatu 25, Helsinki
2.9. – 6.9. 2026
Habitare
Messukeskus, Helsinki

 

Meria Q aka Merja Sipiläinen-Kuhlberg, a mysterious artist who believes in miracles created by the free flow of the mind

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Finnish artist Merja Sipiläinen-Kuhlberg, who was born in Artjärvi (Lake of Art in english) but lives in Turku, a beautiful city on the west coast of Finland.
Meria Q became interested in art as a young girl, sketching evening dresses in her notebooks, and she cultivated this interest as a teenager by designing fabric prints.
As often happens, life sometimes takes strange turns, and Meria Q, abandoning her passion for art, took a different direction that led her into the world of marketing and business.
However, in early 2010, her artistic creativity reawakened and has been unstoppable ever since.
She learned acrylic painting during an astronomical painting course, and thanks to the guidance of excellent professional teachers, she acquired skills in mixed media and watercolor painting.
Once her artistic streak was rekindled, she began painting and drawing as much as possible.
She held her first solo exhibition in 2018, followed by numerous others.
She is currently exhibiting her work at the exhibition “Art. Peace and Meditation” at the Ecumenical Art Chapel of St. Henry in Turku, until November 30th.
In her stage name, Meria means happiness and sun, while Q stands for the moon, an important guide to other worlds and feelings.Initially, she signed her works with the MSK symbol, but gradually a new logo emerged, in which many people have seen an angel or a butterfly, both elements are luminous and beautifully reflect the energies that move Meria Q’s mind in her creative state.
If we were to define this artist, she could be considered an intuitive painter of mental images, a true communicator of art.
Meria Q visualizes the subconscious, and by doing so, she manages to transfer images into her works that we cannot see with our physical eyes, thus becoming a sort of interpreter of the invisible that dwells within us, both in the present and the past.
The messages, emotions, and stories Meria Q conveys in her paintings manage to convey a sense of peace and tranquility to the viewer, almost to the point of becoming healing.
The viewer’s eyes magically find themselves in a place where the mind can rest.
Art, upon closer inspection, is the primary place where meditation dwells, and Meria Q’s works are a true invitation to meditate, allowing one to fully understand the messages they emanate.
Almost like a flow of wonders, a work becomes predestined for someone who can fully grasp the artist’s message.
Meria Q has received a description of herself from the world of astrology: “A mysterious artist who believes in miracles.” Looking closely at her works, it’s not hard to see her in this description.
By letting go of the free flow and letting things happen, miracles are created, and a new world opens up before us with all its colors, moods, and details.
This, no doubt, is the art of Meria Q!
She is a member of NAS Nordiska Akvarellsällskapet.
Meria Q doesn’t sell paintings online, but you can view some of her paintings on her website, www.meriaq.art.
If you’re interested in any of them, you can contact her through the website itself.

Meria Q alias Merja Sipiläinen-Kuhlberg un’artista misteriosa che crede nei miracoli creati dal libero flusso della mente

Oggi ho il piacere di presentarvi l’artista finlandese Merja Sipiläinen-Kuhlberg che è  nata ad  Artjärvi ( lago d’arte in italiano ), ma  vive a Turku una splendida città sulla costa occidentale della Finlandia.
Meria Q si è avvicinata all’arte già da ragazzina quando disegnava abiti da sera nei suoi quaderni e ha coltivato questo interesse da adolescente disegnando stampe su tessuto.
Come spesso succede la vita a volte fa dei giri strani e Meria Q  tralasciata la passione per l’arte ha preso un’altra direzione che l’ha proiettata nel mondo del marketing e degli affari, ma agli inizi del 2010 la sua creatività artistica si è risvegliata e da allora è diventata inarrestabile.
Ha imparato la pittura acrilica durante un corso di pittura astronomica e grazie alla guida di bravissimi insegnanti professionisti ha acquisito un ottima preparazione nella tecnica mista e nella pittura ad acquerello e una volta che la vena artistica si è rimessa in moto,  ha iniziato a dipingere e disegnare il più possibile.
Ha tenuto la sua prima mostra personale nel 2018 a cui ne sono seguite numerose altre e proprio in questi giorni è presente  fino al 30 novembre con la mostra “ Arte. Pace e meditazione “ presso la Cappella d’arte ecumenica di Sant’Enrico a Turku.
Nel suo nome d’arte Meria  significa felicità e sole mentre Q è la luna che è un’importante guida verso altri mondi e sentimenti.
Agli inizi firmava le sue opere con il simbolo MSK, ma a poco a poco è nato il nuovo logo in cui molte persone hanno visto un angelo o una farfalla, entrambi gli elementi sono luminosi e riflettono molto bene le energie in cui si muove la mente di Meria Q  nello stato creativo.
Volendo dare una definizione di questa artista, la si può considerare una pittrice intuitiva di immagini mentali, una vera e propria comunicatrice d’arte.
Meria Q  visualizza il subconscio e facendolo riesce a trasferire nelle sue opere immagini che non si è in grado di vedere con i nostri occhi fisici, diventando quindi una sorte di interprete dell’invisibile che si alberga in noi, sia al presente che al passato.
I messaggi, le emozioni e le storie che Meria Q  trasferisce nei suoi dipinti riescono a trasmettere a chi li osserva un senso di pace e tranquillità fino quasi a farli diventare curativi a tal punto che gli occhi di chi li guarda si ritrovano come per magia in un luogo dove la mente può riposare.
L’arte a ben vedere è il luogo principe in cui alberga la meditazione  e le opere di Meria Q sono un vero e proprio invito alla meditazione per poter ben comprende i messaggi che emanano, quasi un flusso delle meraviglie che fa diventare un’opera la predestinata per quel qualcuno che riuscirà a cogliervi appieno il messaggio che l’artista ha voluto lanciare.
Meria Q ha ricevuto una descrizione di se stessa dal mondo dell’astrologia: “ Un’artista misteriosa che crede nei miracoli” e a ben guardare le sue opere non è difficile ritrovarla in questa descrizione perché lasciandosi andare al libero flusso e lasciando che le cose accadano, si creano miracoli e un nuovo mondo si apre davanti a noi con tutti i suoi colori, stati d’animo e dettagli, e questa non c’è che dire è l’arte di Meria Q!
Fa parte come membro della NAS Nordiska Akvarellsällskapet
Meria Q  non vende quadri online, ma attraverso il suo sito web www.meriaq.art potete vedere alcuni dei suoi dipinti e se interessati ad alcuni di questi prendete contatto  tramite il sito stesso.

Solo exhibitions:
Raisio Museum Harkko/ Aulagalleria (Hall Gallery), Raisio 2024
Arbis Turku, Galleriväggen 2023
Brinkhallin kartanon Kahvila (Brinkhall Manor Café), Turku 2022
Brinkkalan Outolintu, Turku 2022
Hemmotteluhuone Sinulle, Turku 2022
Turku City Main Library, digital exhibition, Turku 2022
Hemmotteluhuone Sinulle, Turku 2021
Hemmotteluhuone Sinulle, Turku 2020
Brinkkalan Outolintu, Turku 2020
Hemmotteluhuone Sinulle, Turku 2019
Tierra Finlandia, Turku 2019
Arbis Turku, Galleriväggen 2019
Restaurant Prego!, Kaarina 2019
Tierra Finlandia, Turku 2018

 Duo-exhibition:
”Art.Peace and meditation” with Victoria Björklund
at
Ecumenical Art Chapel of St. Henry, Turku
until November 30th, 2025

 Group exhibitions:
Kaarina-talo, Kaarina Artist Assosiation Exhibition, Kaarina 2025
Mökki Galleria, Kaarina 2025
Nordiska Akvarellsällskapet NAS, Internet exhibition 12.2024-4.2025
Mökki Galleria, Kaarina 2024
Arbis Turku, watercolour paintings 2024
Galleria Petite & Cherie, Helsinki 2023
Arbis Turku, watercolour paintings 2023
Mökki Galleria, Kaarina 2019
Arbis Turku, watercolour paintings 2019
Arbis Turku, watercolour paintings 2018
Arbis Turku, watercolour paintings 2017

Meria Q – Coming home, 56×76 cm, 2025, watercolour
Meria Q – Love planet – 56×76 cm , 2025, watercolour
Meria Q – Looking back, 38×56 cm, 2022, watercolour
Meria Q – Dates stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in prosciutto 30×40 cm, 2024 watercolour

Acrylics

Birds

Watercolour

Mixed media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annika Aro life sometimes takes strange turns and brings you back to the starting point, art!

Today I’m pleased to introduce you to Finnish artist Annika Aro, born in Iitti, a small village in the Päijät-Häme region of southern Finland, and currently residing in Vantaa.
As a child, Annika loved reading and drawing and was very creative and a dreamer, but she had the level head to excel in school and put in the effort she put in at everything she did – the classic “good girl” who wants to please everyone and thus gain everyone’s approval.
Her passion for art and an innate creativity accompanied her throughout her adolescence, but after graduating and moving from her small native village, her creative side abandoned her to the point of thinking she had lost it completely.
For 20 years, she focused on her studies and a career in marketing, and also studied to become a nutritionist, but during this time, her relationship with art faded.
But life sometimes takes strange turns and brings you back to square one, but the greatest thing about all this is that the new beginning will be experienced differently because you are no longer the same, but you have changed.
And that’s exactly what happened to Annika when, in 2020, after separating from her partner, she moved into her own apartment, where she felt her creativity reawaken within her.
She began painting again and hasn’t stopped since, and over time she has modified and refined her painting technique.
At first, she used watercolors, drawing inspiration from her grandmother’s old photos, a path she enjoyed but which somehow stifled her desire for freedom, which truly emerged when she approached abstract painting.
Annika paints intuitive, abstract works in which the layered and ever-evolving pictorial process becomes visible, and her works are composed of multiple dimensions of color, mood, and form.
Through her creative process and her inner world, Annika uses abstract expression as a tool to convey intuitions and emotional states that are difficult to express in words.
Today, Annika can be considered a well-rounded artist who expresses herself primarily with acrylics, but also occasionally uses watercolors and freehand drawing, a playful medium that simultaneously relaxes and creates, yet without pressure.
Especially in her depictions of the human figure, the technique creates an intriguing, organic atmosphere that adds depth and emotion to the work.
Annika is a member of the Suomen Taiteilijat Ry and the Helsingin Taideyhdistys.
Her works have been exhibited in several group shows and galleries in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and in 2024 and 2025, she also participated in the summer exhibitions at the beautiful Strömfors Ironworks in Loviisa, Finland.
In addition to painting, Annika loves exploring creativity as a channel of empowerment and a tool to overcome the exhaustion, oppression, and lack of deep meaning she often experiences in her 9-to-5 office job.
In recent years, creativity has also become a gateway to deeper self-knowledge and understanding, leading her to share and discuss these topics on her creativity-focused Instagram account @mariannica.art, where she has also created a transformative coaching service on these topics.
Also, something really interesting is that she organizes Paint & Wine events in Helsinki with her fellow artist Kaisa Palonen.
Together, they teach painting, and participants can unleash their creativity while painting and sipping a glass of wine!
For information and contact, you can find them on Instagram at @sivelvin.
You can find more information about Annika Aro through her Instagram page: @mariannica.art  and her website www.annikaaro.com

Annika Aro la vita a volte fa dei giri strani e ti riporta al punto di partenza, l’arte!

Oggi sono lieto di presentarvi l’artista finlandese Annika Aro nata  a Iitti, un piccolo villaggio situato nella regione del Päijät-Häme  situata nella Finlandia meridionale e attualmente residente a Vantaa.
Da bambina Annika amava leggere e disegnare  ed era molto creativa e sognatrice ma con la testa sulle spalle quanto basta per essere molto brava a scuola e capace di impegnarsi al massimo in tutto quello che faceva, la classica “brava ragazza” che vuole accontentare tutti per ottenere di conseguenza l’approvazione di tutti.
La passione per l’arte e una innata creatività l’hanno accompagnata per tutta l’adolescenza ma dopo aver conseguito la laurea e il trasferimento dal piccolo villaggio natio il suo lato creativo l’ha abbandonata fino al punto di pensare di averlo perso del tutto.
Per 20 anni si è concentrata sugli studi e sulla carriera nel marketing, e ha anche studiato per diventare nutrizionista e in questo periodo il suo rapporto con l’arte è venuto meno.
Ma la vita a volte fa dei giri strani e ti riporta al punto di partenza, ma la cosa più grande di tutto questo è che il nuovo inizio sarà vissuto in modo diverso perché tu non sei più lo stesso, ma sei cambiato.
Ed è proprio quello che è successo ad Annika quando nel 2020 dopo essersi separata dal suo compagno si è trasferita in un appartamento tutto suo dove ha sentito la creatività risvegliarsi nuovamente dentro di lei.
Ha ricominciato a dipingere e non ha più smesso, e nel tempo ha modificato ed affinato la sua tecnica pittorica.
Agli inizi ha usato gli acquerelli, ispirandosi a vecchie foto della nonna un percorso che le piaceva ma che in qualche modo soffocava la sua voglia di libertà che è uscita fuori alla grande nel momento in cui si è avvicinata alla pittura astratta.
Annika dipinge  opere intuitive e astratte in cui il processo pittorico stratificato e in continua evoluzione diventa visibile, e le sue opere sono composte da molteplici dimensioni di colore, umore e forma. Attraverso il suo processo creativo e il suo mondo interiore, Annika utilizza l’espressione astratta come strumento per trasmettere intuizioni e stati emotivi difficilmente esprimibili a parole.
Oggi si può dire che Annika è un’artista a tutto tondo che si esprime principalmente con l’acrilico ma non disdegna ogni tanto l’acquerello e il disegno a mano libera che è un modo giocoso capace di rilassare e creare al tempo stesso, ma senza pressione.
Soprattutto nelle raffigurazioni della figura umana, la tecnica crea un’atmosfera intrigante e organica che aggiunge profondità ed emozione all’opera.
Annika è membro del Suomen Taiteilijat Ry e del Helsingin Taideyhdistys.
Le sue opere sono state esposte in diverse mostre collettive e gallerie nell’area metropolitana di Helsinki e, nel 2024 e nel 2025, ha  anche partecipato alle mostre estive presso la splendida Strömfors Ironworks a Loviisa, in Finlandia.
Annika oltre alla pittura, ama esplorare la creatività come canale di empowerment e strumento per superare la stanchezza, l’oppressione e la mancanza di significato profondo che ha spesso sperimentato nel suo  lavoro d’ufficio dalle 9 alle 17.
Negli ultimi anni, la creatività è diventata anche una porta d’accesso a una più profonda conoscenza e comprensione di sé, tanto da portarla a condividere e parlare di questi temi sul suo account Instagram dedicato alla creatività @mariannica.art  dove è presente  anche un servizio di coaching trasformativo su questi temi.
Inoltre, cosa davvero molto interessante organizza eventi Paint&Wine a Helsinki con la sua collega artista Kaisa Palonen, insieme  insegnano  a dipingere e i partecipanti possono liberare la loro creatività dipingendo e sorseggiando un bicchiere di vino!
Per informazioni e contatti le trovate su  Instagram con il nome @sivelvin
Potete trovare maggiori informazioni su Annika Aro attraverso la sua pagina Instragram : @mariannica.art  e il suo sito web www.annikaaro.com

Annika Aro – Serenity
Annika Aro – Orchid

Art exhibitions

Cable Factory, Helsinki
Annual exhibition, Finnish Artists Association
11.-31.8.2025
Cable Factory, Helsinki

Rhythms, Helsinki Art Association
11.-31.8.2025
Strömfors Ironworks, Loviisa
Eudaimonia. Group exhibition Annika Aro, Lotta Sahrqvist, Sanna Nyberg & Marie-Elisabeth Tiitinen
4.-30.7.2025
Piano Art Gallery, Helsinki
Joint exhibition Annika Aro & Sanna Nyberg
6.3.-13.5.2025
Opus Business Park, Helsinki

Private exhibition
5.2.-3.8.2025
Jorvi Hospital, Espoo
Joy and Inspiration, Helsinki Art Association
26.1.-22.2.2025
Strömfors Ironworks, Loviisa
Eudaimonia. Group exhibition Annika Aro, Lotta Sahrqvist, Sanna Nyberg & Marie-Elisabeth Tiitinen
4.-30.7.2025
Aatos Gallery, Porvoo
Joint exhibition Annika Aro & Sanna Nyberg
8.-31.1.2025
Strömfors Ironworks, Loviisa
On the growth curve. Group exhibition Annika Aro, Lotta Sahrqvist, Sanna Nyberg & Marie-Elisabeth Tiitinen
1.-31.8.2024
Petite & Cherie Gallery, Helsinki
Group exhibition
29.6.-27.7.2024
Cable Factory, Helsinki
Splendor themed exhibition, Association of Finnish Artists
April 1-14, 2024
Fogga Gallery, Helsinki
Call of the Jungle, group exhibition
2023
Fogga Gallery, Helsinki
Together for a new beginning, joint exhibition
2022