Raili Lehvä

Who am I?

I am a self-taught artist, today residing in Finland, with my family. I was born and raised in the beautiful seaside city of Tallinn, Estonia.

Art history has been close to my heart ever since I was young – the Renaissance, Impressionism, Surrealism and Cubism. I have admired the creations of the artists from these eras and familiarized myself with their biographies. At the time, I felt that so much beauty had already been created in the world, that there was nothing new that I could offer.

Creativity has always been part of my life. I have pursued porcelain painting, wood painting, photography and electronic communications. Design is also one of my hobbies.

In 2012, I was introduced to Vedic Art, and have since then painted intuitively.

Now, when I have mastered the courage to express myself through painting – playing with colors and achieving a creative flow, experiencing the enjoyment it brings, feels quite amazing.

The creative flow is constantly present – I long for the weekends, when I can let it flow freely. I enjoy every brushstroke and each play with color. I never know what I'm creating – the painting creates itself. At some point, my head feels completely empty and I lower my hands – this is t...

I have a degree in engineering from the Tallinn University of Technology. I love mathematical structure. Everything is always calculable and the result is numerical and exact. The reason for this is probably partly due to my education in engineering.
Life in other circles has taken up my time until now. My life has been affected by many major changes, such as Estonia's new independence in 1991 and moving to Finland in 1999. The move also involved the choice of a new career – quite characteristically – a desire to work in an accounting firm. A fortunate coincidence enabled me to set up my own accounting firm right away. For the last twelve years, I have run my own business, which, in addition to myself, employs two people. A mere degree in engineering would have been challenging, so I needed to return to school – for the required financial education in order to ensure the successful performance of an accounting firm, before becoming an entrepreneur.

Creativity is the opposite of this exact and numerical world.

I have exhibited in Finland since 2014, a couple of times a year. I am a member of The Artists' Association of Finland.