Toni-Petri Ruotsalainen

I'm a Finnish painter and printmaker, currently residing and working in Tampere, Finland. I work mainly in oil and acrylic paints, and my work recently has focused on pointillistic, nature and animal-themed work. I'm interested in optical illusions; when viewed from a distance my paintings appear photorealistic, but as the viewer closes in, the images break into masses of color, many times bordering on abstraction.

The theme of my work often hinges on the relationship between humans and nature. In today's world, more and more people live their lives in urban areas, and although we may feel kinship to wild animals, we may never see them in their natural habitat. The dicotomy between the natural subject matter, and the almost digital painting style is meant to engage the viewer to ponder their own relationship with nature: if our only connection to nature is via instagram, are we still a part o