Still life, stilleben, means “silent paintings.”

In a traditional still life, various objects are arranged as a model on a table or some other surface. The objects might be dishes, fruits, vegetables, game birds hanging, or almost anything. They are in a motionless state, still, dead. As the name suggests, the subject of the painting is silence, and the objects are merely tools for realizing an idea.

I have added living creatures to some of my works as well. A cat watches a bird through the window; a crow marvels at a yellow rubber duck. Nothing moves. Time has stopped. The paintings are realistic. I have tried to capture a moment through the means of painting. Of course, a camera would be more convenient, but a camera cannot paint. A digital photo is only an electronic illusion of reality. The painter’s palette allows for play with colors, light, and moods. Layers of paint create a living texture.

Stilleben is a statement about our busy, hectic lives. It is worth stopping and looking — has something gone wrong as life becomes increasingly stressful? Who guides us, who takes advantage of us? Why do we need constant growth if it only makes us unhappy — if it leads to the loss of nature and a climate catastrophe? Stilleben is passive resistance.

It is time that has stopped.

About the artist
I am a visual artist, born in the Northern Finland in Posio 1951. My childhood was surrounded by forests and nothern hill landscapes. My home was a poor small farm in the middle of the wilderness. We had no television or consumer electronics, so we had to invent games and hobbies ourselves. Creativity grew out of necessity.
Ever since I was little, I have been eager to draw. The margins of school books and the empty pages of school notebooks were filled with my drawings. White wrapping paper from the store and empty shoe boxes were also good material for my hobby. There were no drawing pads.
When I as young, I ventured out into the world in Helsinki. I went to the workers institute to draw a living model, but the political activites and the pricipiles of hippies swept me away. The artistry remained on to the background until I returned to the north when I was older and started to paint. I already participated in a few exhibitions.
I studied at Orivesi institute in visual arts for half a year and I was still trying to get to the art academy, but with bad luck. At the same time two of my sculptures were accepted to the Youngs exhibition in Art Gallery of Helsinki, I thought I was ready as an artist. What’s the point of studying? However, I went to study at the universitys drawing departmentland and to the workers institute. I participated in art camps in Kuusamo and Hailuoto. There were good teachers.

I didn’t become a grant artist, so I had to come up with a living income. I started painting decorative paintings and plastering. On the side, I took part in a sculpture competition and to a few art exhibitions.
When I was young, my paintings were political statements. They had a pacifist and social message. My later works became abstract, even minimalistic. The frustration of youth led to cynicism until I matured and I returned to romance. I had realized that art doesn’t change the world, but I could change people one at a time. I had realized that if I couldn’t save the people from a natural disaster, I would at least try to save art one painting at a time. Without art, a human becomes a robot. Global market economy wants to deprive us of original thinking and literacy. They want us to become heavy consumers of entertainment, brainless consumers.

My paintings are still lifes painted using traditional methods. Their message is stopping.