Saimi Suikkanen
MFA painter.(b.1994). Lives and works currently in Helsinki, Finland.
Artist Statement
I roam around, sip bitter instant coffee and lay in my hammock. I take photographs, write up my thoughts and daydream. I paint the things I see. I paint whatever I feel like painting. I bring my observations to life on canvas and shape them into something new. I breathe deeply — I am idle.
I start a new piece with diluted yellow ochre. The paintbrush swishes on the canvas, drafting a new subject in a fast tempo. I need to hurry before the picture is set on the canvas. I slow down and wipe something away.
I mix colours on the porcelain plate functioning as a palette. I let the dry brush bring out the texture in the fabric. I paint areas of colour furiously, dilute, and add a thick layer of another colour. I adjust the hues until they resonate on the retinas. In the upper corner, the diluted paint trickles over. I lift the painting off the easel and lay it down flat on the ground. Even paintings need to rest sometime.
Saimi Suikkanen (b. 1994) is a Helsinki-based visual artist whose primary medium is painting. She graduated as Master of Fine Arts in 2022 from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki and with a Bachelor of Culture and Arts degree from the Visual Arts programme at Saimaa University of Applied Sciences in 2017.
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