1983 Helsinki
Whenever I paint, I may cover the pictures several times, and the end result is always a surprise. New solutions may be found by concealing and removing things. Working with the paint and the brush becomes as essential as the picture itself.
The painting process is important and demanding. I tend to work quickly, and the picture has to please me when I am making it. On the other hand, the coatings of paint need time to dry up, which provides me with enough time to consider what I did to the painting the previous day. As you grow tired of your own paintings, you try new solutions that are more expressive.
One of the themes of my paintings has to do with the basic questions of painting: the colours and shapes, the composition, and the way paint is applied on canvas.
I know that my works are ready when they seem to speak out to the viewer, beckoning them closer. The energy created during the painting process and the moments when I know that I have managed to produce something good make it easier for me to carry on.
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