A 15 year long quest in search of expressing the female beauty through my art, brought me 4 years ago to a small town in the mid - west of Finland called Jurva. The reason why it had to be Jurva was a unique and highly technical woodcarving style, typical of the region, that has replaced the use of a mallet with a combination of razor sharp chisels and a very demanding work technique. This enables the artist to be closely and constantly in touch with the wood and "slice" away pieces almost as easily as if working on butter, thus gaining a gracefulness and subtlety in the carving strokes far superior to many other woodcarving styles. It is a style that emphasises the chisel stroke as a essential component of the artistic outcome in a very similar way that brush strokes are fundamental in the art of Van Gogh or Sorolla, or the line is in Art Nouveau.
During my stay in Jurva I have had the honour of working under the supervision of Master Decorative Woodcarver Oiva Kentta. Under his guidance I have worked with the aim of introducing a younger and more modern vision to the traditional Rococo and Baroque inspired furniture typical of the region. The project has been met with great approval, gaining support from artistic circles in the form of scholarships from "Svenska Kultur fonden" and "Pohjanmaan Taidetoimikunta". Master Oiva Kentta himself expressed his total support by including in his newly published book "Koristeveistokirja" (ISBN 951 - 566 - 000 - 9 ) a chapter where I teach design principles for woodcarvers and also a section with pictures of my artwork.
Looking towards the future and never forgetting to remember the greatness of the past is where I believe lies the tomorrow of woodcarving in Jurva. I would be very pleased if my portfolio could serve as a tiny spark to ignite the inspiration of the younger generation of woodcarvers on whose ability will depend the future of the Jurvan Woodcarving Style.