OUR MEMBERS
Search alphabetically by surname or browse and get to know our talented community of members
JAANA HEISKA
WATERCOLOR, INK ARTIST
HEISKA is a watercolor and ink artist from Finland.
Inspired by fairy tales and folklore, Jaana loves to create art that feels like a sweet dream. She creates artwork with natural and organic themes by using ink, watercolor, and mixed media, artwork with natural, organic themes.
“Art is a really scary process of discovery, sitting back and letting your creativity take the reins and finding out what happens. The hardest part is accepting and loving everything that you create. Finding a way of accepting all of this is really what gives you true creative freedom and joy.”
MERI HELMI SÄRKKÄ
PAINTER, MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ARTIST
Meri Helmi Särkkä (Formerly known as Mariam Haji) is a Bahraini multi-disciplinary fine artist who currently lives and works in Porvoo, Finland. She works with different mediums ranging from drawing and painting to video and performance. In 2021, Mariam represented the Kingdom of Bahrain in Finland’s most prominent leading Art festival ‘Mänttä Art Festival’. She also represented her country as Mariam Haji in the 55th Venice Biennale 2013 and was the winner of Bahrain's 38th National Fine Art Competition for her “Muse” series, the youngest female artist to receive an honorary award from his Excellency the Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in 2012.
Mariam’s work is considered a national heritage to her country Bahrain. Her piece titled “Victory” is on permanent public display inside the National Theatre of Bahrain and her work is also included in the permanent art collection of The National Museum of Bahrain.
ASTA HUUTONEN
PAINTER, ARTIST
Asta (Huutonen) Sutton, Ph.D. is Finnish / American artist who has been living and working in North America since 1998. Sutton’s research interests clarify the relationship between art and unconscious in a creative process, which is closely related to her own painting and teaching philosophy www.astagallery.com. Sutton is internationally (Finland, USA, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and UK) known artist and she has been creating artworks and syllabus that are committed on her research topic. Especially no-mindedness can be a manner to reach even better results to create and to interpret artwork and other designs. Unconscious principles can be revealed that will contribute to the creative process and enhance creativity. Her fields of interest include Asian philosophy, European and Scandinavian art, especially twentieth century period.
YU ISHIKAWA
(Kimono Biyori)
CRAFT / APPLIED ARTS
I am a Japanese kimono artist. I studied kimono in Japan for seven years and later worked as a professional kimono dresser, gaining a deep understanding of traditional techniques, materials, and cultural significance. Japan is home to many beautiful kimono and obi, each carefully crafted over time. However, as fewer people wear kimono in daily life today, many of these pieces are no longer used and are often discarded despite their value and artistry. Through my work, I aim to give new life to these textiles by transforming them into contemporary items such as bags and pouches. By reimagining kimono in a way that is accessible and practical for everyday use, I hope to share their beauty with a wider audience and allow more people around the world to enjoy them. My practice is rooted in respect for tradition while embracing sustainability and creativity, creating pieces that connect the past with the present.
JULIA IZMAYLOVA
SKETCHER, MIXED MEDIA ARTIST
"Art can transform reality in the most exciting ways"
I am a Helsinki-based Russian artist. My passion is experimenting with mixed media. I love switching between different materials. Today I feel like using oil pastels, and tomorrow it might be watercolor. My favorite subjects to draw are architecture, nature, and everyday objects around us. In Finland I am studying to become a programmer while trying to keep up with my art. It’s challenging, but both fields are important to me!
REENA JHA
ARTIST
JHA is a self-taught Visual Artist who specializes in creating unique, handcrafted mandala art using a combination of different materials, such as fine liners, colors, ink, and metallic colors, which adds a touch of elegance and luxury to the artwork. Her mandala art takes this concept to a new level, incorporating her own unique style and creativity into each piece. Her work of art is inspired by the people, emotions, nature and things around us.
