Minni Häkkinen
“ ’Vahingossa hyvä tulee’ (In English: ‘Success by accident’) is my artistic motto. I’ve learned to love and treasure the precise moment when I take my lithography print from the press and see exactly how my hopeful vision has come out. This is a magical moment – and for a control freak like me, often a really painful one! Sometimes the result is quite close to what I anticipated, but more often it´s something totally different. Yet after that first moment of total disappointment I then examine what’s actually in front of me, and (surprise, surprise!) I’m sometimes quite amazed that I’ve created something with elements of real beauty. It’s not what I planned but, sometimes, it’s something even better. With regard to my artistic motivations, maybe the common denominator in the prints I am most satisfied with is the sense of harmony and tranquility of the tones and composition. One-color printing seems to work well for me, and it’s surprising how much one can express with only a single color.
Satu Ryökkynen
“The subject of my graphic work is nature, or elements of nature, as seen through my own eyes. I usually get my ideas during my holiday travels, when my mind is most open and free. I put a lot of thought into the particular subject I’d like to illustrate, and also into the specific reason for making an artwork. For example, I have for many years made my own Christmas cards that I send to friends and family. I’m interested in both figurative and non-figurative art. For me, the best part of the printmaking process is playing with colors. Trying different colors using the same printing plate can create extremely different moods, and it’s always interesting to see how various colors interact.”
Vappu Johansson
Vappu Johansson employs traditional rotogravure techniques to explore the richness and beauty of the natural world. Nature, in its astounding diversity, provides constantly new forms and motifs – and thus new inspiration – for Johansson’s artwork. The organic forms in her images often evolve into highly abstracted shapes that appear familiar to the viewer – but whose functions may remain mysterious.
