Personal statement
I am a Finnish artist working at Studio Sage, creating emotionally resonant portraits of animals in acrylic, oil, and drawing media. I have come to recognise my own vulnerability, gentleness and emotional presence and repeatedly express it through the symbolic gaze of companion animals, exploring themes of exposure of emotions, humbleness and dignity.
Before dedicating myself full to art, I spent years in law enforcement in England. That chapter of my life, while clearly an attempt at self-preservation within the frameworks I had inherited, sharpened my sense of observation and restraint, and deepened my appreciation for quiet forms of expression—tenderness, fragility, and the unspoken layers of feeling that often go unnoticed.
My first muse was Pepper, a Dutch rabbit whose portrait marked the beginning of a body of work exploring loyalty, sensitivity, and wonder. Today, I paint from my studio in Eastern Finland, where I’m surrounded by forest, stillness, and the grounding presence of my French bulldog Byron and other beloved animals. They are companions and co-conspirators in the ongoing story of this work, whispering the quiet truths and define my creative voice.
I trained in the arts in my youth and am currently completing my formal studies to receive the official title of painter. As a skilled drawer, I take to heart the wisdom once shared by a tutor: “You must first learn to draw like a master before you can become the next Picasso.” I continue to honour that foundation, while now leaning fully into the expressive, intuitive, and emotionally charged dimensions of my practice.
My influences include Dali, O’Keeffe, Stenvall, Klimt, and the Renaissance masters—artists who, in their own ways, pursued both excellence and depth of feeling. My work is an invitation to pause, to feel, and to recognize the extraordinary in the quiet language of animals and emotion.
