I have seen again and again that my works reflect my own
life experiences. In both the painting and the sculptures,
the past, or whar has already departed - my birth in
northeastern Finland, childhood in the countryside - and
the Present, or Continued - an urbanized lifestyle in the city
- these time sequenses merge together in my works.

For the past few years, i have been using wood as the
starting-point or focus of my works. I have found a unique
relationship with wood - wood is warm, personal, and very
much a part of the Finnish character. It is perhaps one of the
most important material i have ever used. In wood, there
are always present traces of the past, and reminders of the
future. We see in in wood not only the markings of history,
but also the continuity of life - the circle of life.


In Finland, wood sculpture is highly appreciated, for it
represents the values of the old traditions. Wood was one
of the original material for sculpture in finland. In higher art
circles, any discussion concerning wooden art is taken very
seriously. Wood is spiritually holy, an icon, symbolizing
something so pure that it would be indecent to harm it in any
way.

I have always wondered if it is right to place something like
wood in such a high and respection position. It is a wonderful
material, beatiful and fine to work with, but in the final
analysis, it is still just one of many materials.

In all of my works it is easy to see their volume, their three-
dimensional aspect. Because of this, i can not easily single
out of my paintings, to say what they represent. Paintings,
sculptures, painted sculptures, and all forms in between,
what can one say about these separately? In any case,
when talking about my work, it is always a question about
three-dimensional forms.

When i am working, i am always conscious to approach my
works in a spatial way, becausefor me life is not an illucion
but is something one can touch and feel with your hands.
One of the essential dialoques in my work is between space
and mass. This interactive communication between space
and form is so important, that the installation of any of my
works into an exhibition space is of the utmost importance,
albeit time-consuming.

The colours in my work show an urbanization of life. It has
always been my experience that colour is a tremendous
energy. The influence of colour in our lives is more important
than we could ever realize. From everywhere and from all
around, we receive information, and colours, different col-
ours, produce different images for each of our imaginations.
We live among these colours, and these colours influence
all of us.

I have been told that one of the remarkable parts of my work
is its kinetic energy. I have always been impressed by the
kinetic phenomena. The feeling to me is almost mystical -
a moment where something is just starting to happen, a
moment where something is beginning, or ending.