The Paper Artist that I am
It was during my time as a trainee in a paper workshop in Helsinki that handmade paper began to fascinate me. I graduated as a textile designer in 1992 and already knew I had found a life-long friend in handmade paper. The age-old technique continues to provide endless challenges and opportunities for my work both now and for the future years to come. It is the lightness, transparency and adaptability of paper that attracts me.
My dream and challenge since starting to work with
handmade paper has been to combine light and paper. Using
watermarks to create patterns on paper provides a perfect
medium to explore this combination. As handmade white paper
already is expressive itself, the play of light and shadow
as well as subtle differences in shades create an illusion
that catches attention. Character can be given to cotton
and flax paper by using Finnish plant fibres, of which my
favourites are the reddish willow, the splintery fern,
yellow oat and woody cow parsley. My unique works are
mostly made of sheets of paper or three-dimensional parts,
the combination of which allows the construction of larger
entities.
With the timeless handmade Paperivalo products I aim to
convey to you the same fascination to handmade paper that
first caught me.