Elina Merenmies: “For me, painting is a miracle.”

What does painting mean to you?

“For me, painting is a miracle. Thousands of color shades and mixing formulas come to mind when I need them—I jokingly call it ‘tube mail.’ I tell my students: wait for the tube mail!
Things appear in my painting that I didn’t design—wholly immersive images of experiences without words, yet whose language is inexplicably humanly recognizable.
The finished work inevitably reveals who I am—and that’s perfectly fine.”

“People often wonder why my works are sometimes so dark, bleak, or intense. I can’t give a simple answer, but I have a theory: I want my art to break through a certain boundary between things—so that my inner self ‘dwells’ in flat surfaces. Perhaps that breaking through also connects with the human reality that, for many of us, can be hard to endure—full of suffering. That reality exists independently of us.

“On the other hand, people often escape from reality. I aim to move in the opposite direction, even as I combat my hidden weaknesses and fears. I try to be brave and joyful, while also seeing my existence and actions as they are—trying to correct what I can within myself. Then it all pours into the painting—and surprises even me. Like in David Cronenberg’s The Fly: an unintended mistake transforms a scientific experiment into a tragicomic result.”

“I’m immensely grateful to live in an era where I’ve been free to pursue my profession without limitations—regardless of my gender or other arbitrary barriers. I’ve been able to unleash myself on canvas without much restriction, and rather, I’ve received support, help, and even unexpected empathy for my art.”

“I remember my first powerful painting experience as a child—it was on the cliffs at Haukilahden where I painted a turtle made of stones and concrete. It began to rain, and some older, caring kids scooped me up and carried me to cover. I thought: this is the best service ever! You’re given paint and brushes, and you’re never left out in the rain. Since then, painting has always somehow found its place.”

Whose student would you have liked to be?

“If I could choose only one, it would be Andrei Rublev, the icon painter (d. 1430). I can imagine that merely observing his presence and work would have been enough—his icons express an unspeakable beauty and a presence of joy and peace.”

Which techniques interest you most right now?

“I’m drawn to oil painting techniques from the 15th–17th centuries, icon tempera, and gilding. I’d love to learn encaustic (beeswax tempera) and also try mosaics someday.”

What’s the best thing about the Free Art School?

“In a small school, the atmosphere is homelike and everyone feels close. And to see how focused the students are at work—that's always such a wonderful sight! Sometimes the best moment is seeing how a small words of encouragement can have a powerful effect.”

Where did you study?

“I started at the University of Helsinki’s Department of Drawing in 1987, then moved to Belgium in spring 1988 in my early twenties. I studied painting for 1½ years at Institut de St Luc in Brussels, where there was a small painting department. During that time I also gained admission to the Academy of Fine Arts in Finland, but I continued in Belgium for another year as part of an exchange.

After that, I studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki for several years, and then nearly a year at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (in monumental painting studio) from 1991–92. I lived in the Czech Republic almost three years. My thesis exhibition took place at the academy’s gallery in 1992. I stayed on in school through to my Master’s degree, completing in 1999, with brief periods of study along the way.

People often ask me if I studied in Paris. I’ve lived in Paris for perhaps five years in total and even painted works for my Master’s there, but I never attended any local schools.”

Elina Merenmies

• Visual artist, Principal of the Free Art School
• Born 1967
• Based in Helsinki
• Oversees teaching for all year groups at the school and invites guest lecturers. Responsibility teacher for first-year students—teaches oil painting and ink drawing. One of the school’s entrance course instructors.
• Heads seminar discussions with fourth-year students on their work, which also involve second- and third- years. Responsible for hanging the graduating painters’ exhibition each spring.
• Teaches egg-tempera painting to second-year students each spring.