The forest has been important to me since childhood; it offered the best playground and a sense of safety to a little girl with a vivid imagination. In the forest, I planned and built shelters. My hobbies also included various visual arts courses. Nature, the arts, and handicrafts have remained important pillars of my life to this day. Admiring, exploring, and listening to nature with all my senses, creating art, and making crafts are the salt, sugar, and pepper of life!
The main themes in my art are nature and animals, mythology and mysticism, the seasons, and symbolism.
I draw my inspiration from nature and wild animals. I often depict animals in a fairly realistic way, but with a poetic touch and a hint of naïvism. My goal is to bring out the unique essence of each animal character. Mythological elements are present in my paintings, and I strive to create an atmosphere that invites the viewer to ponder their deeper meanings and stories. With symbolic or graphic elements, I also aim to add depth and layers to my works.
The seasons have a strong influence on me and are reflected in the themes of my art. Autumn is the most powerful of the seasons—it usually intensifies my inspiration, though sometimes it can also extinguish it.
With my works, I want to invite the viewer to pause and admire the surrounding nature and animals, and to remind them of the absolute importance of biodiversity.
I am mostly a self-taught artist. I have trained as a specialist metal artisan, a spatial and environmental design artisan, and a producer of natural products.
In my past life, I have worked in many different fields. When I became an entrepreneur, I spent a decade as an interior designer. Having my own product line based on my art has been a long-held dream. That’s why I started studying for a specialist vocational qualification in product development. After finishing my studies, I realized that Kaarne Art had been born.
In addition to painting, I work with many different materials. I love fabrics and sewing. For example, the “Siivenisku” (Stroke of the Wing) outdoor pillows are my own handiwork and design. I am also enchanted by sheep’s wool—I have felted a lot using different techniques, often with wool from my own Finnish sheep. Wood carving and pyrography bring me great joy as well. From wood, I have created hundreds of unique pieces of jewelry, ornaments, and pyrography artworks. Of course, many other natural materials can also be transformed into products or art in the hands of a natural product producer: birch bark, twigs, bark, bones, wild herbs…
Kaarne Art was born out of love and respect for nature and the animals of the forest.
Kaarne Art is based on responsibility, practicality, quality, and visuality. Welcome to join me on my journey with my art and the products that have grown from it.
With forest greetings, Tanja
