Eero Kalervo, now starting his fourth year, was inspired by drawing and art history in high school

When did you discover your interest in visual arts?

In high school. I started sketching in my notebook and realized how enjoyable it was—and how deeply you could immerse yourself in it. At the same time, I came across Impressionist paintings online and got excited. I began exploring art history more broadly, and it was intoxicating to realize I could try those ideas myself. You could say a whole new world opened up to me.

What does painting mean to you?

Painting gives me space to exist. With each new painting, you can—or are allowed to—start fresh (with a blank canvas). A painting can be anything; it doesn’t have to be a response to something pre-existing. I mean that it doesn’t need to serve a specific purpose or function. I think that’s one of painting’s great strengths as a format—it encourages searching for new solutions instead of revolving around predetermined conventions.

What are your sources of inspiration?

I feel like inspiration in painting exists on many different levels.
I enjoy diving into art theory and looking at other paintings. That creates a framework that motivates me to paint—some kind of professional pride, I suppose. Creative sparks can of course come from anywhere, but at least for now, I don’t primarily approach painting through subject matter or concepts—they just come along for the ride. My greatest source of inspiration is probably paint itself—and the desire to paint.

In his free time, Kalervo enjoys running and music. He says his artistic influences “come and go,” and he prefers not to cling to them too tightly.

What is essential in painting—what do you think the most important element is?

That’s a tough question—there are so many ways into painting. Lately, I’ve been thinking it might be concentration. If a painter has been truly focused on their work, you can see it in the piece—and something always gets communicated, even unintentionally.

I was recently in a course where we drew portraits of each other. Some participants hadn’t drawn much before, but that didn’t matter—as long as they focused. The drawings turned out interesting and moving, and reflected their makers.

What has studying at the Free Art School given you?

I’ve appreciated how genuinely interested everyone here is in painting. The whole thing runs on a love for the art form. I feel that the school has given me the ability to stay engaged with painting for life—or, as principal Merenmies once put it, at the Free Art School you get to build your own (painterly) instrument, which you can then play. For that, I’m thankful for the diverse teaching and the effort to help students find their own interests and strengths.

Eero Kalervo

• Graduate of Vaskivuori Upper Secondary School
• Born in 1998