Handle with Care 1 Painting

Marika is a Finnish wood artist, currently living and working in Zurich, Switzerland. She is strongly influenced by the beauty, the chaotic order and the complexity of Nature which is the inspiration at the core of her work. By interpreting the moods and feelings of nature, her works transforms into botanical illusions which resembles traditional paintings yet on closer inspection the surface is almost three dimensional with a vivid and illusory texture. Due to her past as a cabinet maker, her technique starts by carving and scraping onto wooden boards with her numerous woodworking tools. Working very intuitively and guided by the grains in the wood, an unpredictable textured base unfolds. The remaining wood splinters still attached to the boards are an essential part in her works. The process is followed by painting several layers of earthy color tones using acrylic paints and pigments until a painterly impression is obtained. The organic feeling she is seeking for, is reinforced by a balance between natural spontaneity and carefully defined markings Marika is trying to make sense of the current society, where many are disconnected from the importance of nature and prefer to exploit it rather than nurture it. Through her forests and landscapes, she strives to portray a sense of tranquility as well as to emphasize the immense driving power Nature is able to convey!