Art Techniques

Besides my urge to produce functional items, I have a great background in arts. When I was 7 years old, I started to go every wednesday for art classes in Helsinki Art School. I went there for 12 years. That was the place, where I first started to think about becoming an art teacher. The lessons were same time laid back, but also kind of serious. I could say that we were making our works with the attitude of creating real art. Well, the teachers were competent, and I think most of them has a side job as a professional artist.

I got a place in a special class in secondary school, which was emphasizing in arts and crafts. In high school I attended all the art courses. Later I was accepted to study Art Education in The Aalto University. I studied there 3 years, until I started my studies in Craft Science in the University of Helsinki.

I selected some of my artworks here. First there are some drawings.

Anatomy

Live model

I like a lot printmaking. I have tried drypoint, etching, aquatint, carborundum, soft base, and linoleum cutting. I have attended also a course by Eeva-Liisa Isomaa about printmaking with carborundum. I would like to know more about fascinating special printmaking techniques, and maybe apply it to textiles.

Etching

Drypoint

Collagraph

Aquatint

Drypoint

I have been painting with numerous techniques and materials, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, ink, pastel, tempera etc.


 

My kitchen

Watercolor

Collage and acrylic paint

At school and university I have done sculpture with different methods: sculpting, mixed media, metal wire, plaster cast and installations.

Mixed media sculpture: metal, paper, glue

I also enjoy photographing. I have learnt to use professional cameras pretty well. On the contrary, I have used also a pinhole camera a variation of camera obscura. I have learnt to take good photos from my products.

Handwoven linen towel

Homespun yarn

Pinhole camera negative and the picture

Picture made by exposing light straight to the photopaper through the objects placed on it

Weaving

My main interest in handicrafts is weaving. I have completed more than ten courses in weaving in Adult Education Institute, and 3 courses in my university. I have also my own loom. I have been thinking about making career with weaving in some way. I could sell my projects, teach, sell warps, rent looms etc. Any ideas?

I love to make rag rugs. The texture is harsh and lumpy. The material is stiff and heavy. The weaving is art, when you choose the right coloured material and pattern. Same time it feels good to use old material for the new product.

Rosepath rag rug made from dyed jeans

Lace weave cushions

I love to make linen towels. Those towels dry so quickly and take very little space in your closet. Half cotton half linen yarns are easy for warp. Thats why many of my towels are 75% linen, 25% cotton.

Waffle towels

Satin table cloth

I painted the braid pattern to the warp while I was weaving

Computer assisted loom gives you great possibilities in designing the patterns

Towels made from dyed linen

Seurasaari Open Air Museum of Traditional Housing

Last summer I was working in the most interesting museum in Helsinki, Seurasaari. It is placed in a beautiful island. It basicly consists of old relocated houses, cottages, farmsteads and manors, with traditional interiors. The houses are from from 17th to 20th century and they are moved from different places in Finland. Houses are from rural areas, and the habitants were mostly farmers.

Storage houses

Place for washing hands

Wealthy peasant house, Ivars

Fancy bedroom of the oldest daughter, Antti farmhouse

I was working as a guide attendant. My job was to give customer service, guide visitors, do history reenactment, organize workshops, open and close the houses, sell tickets and keep an eye on the houses. Workers had beautiful costumes, and most of us were also performing in some way. One girl was playing kantele and one was singing traditional songs. Most of us could do some handicrafts, for example crochet, knitting, spinning, ribbons, wood works etc.

The view from the window of my workplace

I was spinning yarn most of the time. I used a spindle, because it was easy to carry around. I could also stand while spinning. Spindle is one of the most primitive tools for making yarn. Spinning wheel is more new, and more efficient tool to make yarn. In Finland the spinning wheel started to replace spindles slowly from the 18th century, but in the most isolated places in Carelia people used spindle as late as early 1900's. Those of you who have spun ever, know that I had to also card, twine, wind a skein and wash the yarn, for completing the process. I liked to teatch some visitors to card, and even to spin.

I'm spinning in Pertinotsa, Carelian house

Yarns I've spun, and some wool and flax

Spindles, Carders, Skein winder

Every house contained a large folder, which contained information about the house and habitants. There were also some general history and folklore, information about crafts, habits, religion, food etc. I was so excited about my work, that the first months I studied a lot folklore, and learnt enormously much. My mom is folklorist, so I borrowed her books and asked about everything. As I was spending most of the time indoors, I was surrounded by collection of weird objects and furniture. I studied the names and functions of each object from an inventory list which was placed in the folder.

Spoons are licked clean and then put to dry in a rack

Textile craft related tools

It was also interesting to see completely different floorplans, interior and decorations. Entry rooms were usually huge, and buildings seemed to have a "main room", which served many functions. In some of the houses in Seurasaari, the main room is a living room, bedroom and kitchen same time, even when the house is full of other large rooms for storage, visitors and parties. There were long benches next to the wall and the women's and men's sides in the rooms.The different kinds of stoves affected to the food culture and vice versa. There was huge selection of interesting interior fabrics, and old ways to use them.

Rag rug

Bed curtain, to keep warmth, and to create privacy

Interior Design Project

I live in a one room flat, with separated kitchen. My long term friend from Poland moved in to my flat. It is not very common in Finland to live together with a friend in the same room. Actually I haven't heard anyone living like that. I wanted to rearrange my furniture. I had to think, how to make the only room arranged the way, that we would have a little privacy. Our day rhytm could be sometimes a bit different, so I wanted to ease our everyday life as much as I could by changing the places of furniture.

I had same time a course in my university called Exploring Based Interior Design. We had to choose a space, and make an interior design based on the needs and preferences of the user. I decided to make my course project about my situation at home. I focused on my friend's needs and wishes. We had to organize different kinds of tasks to the user, which would reveal something about the user.

In the beginning of the course we learnt to use a software to design interior. This software was called CADlite. I got really excited about this software, and I spent hours with it. Here is how my bedroom/livingroom -combo looked like:

Here are the tasks that I made her to do:

1. Take pictures of places what you are looking often, and from points of views where you usually spend time.

The pictures revealed to me how much storage place she needs, because there could be seen so much her stuff around. At this point, she was sleeping in the low futon couch next to window. I realised how much there was light and many of my handicrafts in progress were visible.

2. I made a model of the room, and I cut movable furniture from cardboard. My friend had to move furniture and make few versions. I took pictures of them.

It was eye opening to see other person's solutions to this problem. I had also made many versions with this board, but they were different.

3. I had interview with her. I asked pretty normal things, but I also had few surprising questions. Some examples:

How important is darkness for you when it comes to sleeping? Do you sleep
when it is daylight?

How important is darkness for you when it comes to sleeping? Do you sleep
when it is daylight?

Is there some sort of storage need that I haven’t provided? 

Do you find any activities that you find hard to have place or possibilities to
perform?

4. Scaling task

Look at the interior space. How do you feel it?
Mark the spot to each line according your impression. For
example, if you feel that the interior is original/distinctive,
place the dot in the line close to that word etc. You can also
invent your own counter terms.

5. Daily routine

If you have to share a room with someone, it is crucial when each of you are going to sleep and wake up.

After these tasks I made my decisions of new furniture arrangements. My friend got her own area, which was my former sleep corner. I found the project really inspiring. This kind of user-based research is giving the designer so much more inspiring information. Playful tasks also help, when the user isn't really sure what she/he even needs or wishes.