Hermanni Pellinen — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

Born In Central- Finland 1978, self taught . Inspired by fathers abstract painting when he was 7 years old, and made a decision to someday become an artist. Started to paint, made paintings and portraits as a teenager, keeping art as a hobby. His father died when he was 20 years old. Studied and became a practical nurse. Busy life took place and he started to think about making a family. He has been working in mental hospital for 8 years and now he works in healthcare, sheltered housing for over 10 years, in that job.Years went by, and when the year 2020 came he started to paint again, he got married and had a brain stroke in honeymoon at the lighthouse. He Spent seven months home and trained himself back to normal life. He Took a paintbrush in hand and started to paint his past life, frustrations and sorrow away. All the sad feelings from his dead father and experience from stroke, seeing the most important things in life more deeply now. All his life there has been hiding emotions, and now he let those emotions out to the whole world to see. Now he became an artist.

Artist Statement

"I consider my art as a tool to put pain and sorrow away, let go fears and phobias. I wanna have fun when painting! I want to help and heal people with my art and put caring and love in every artwork I make.
My paintings contain very powerful emotions. I wanna feel every moment in life very powerfully, I don´t wanna live life with any regrets. I do not know any other way in life that puts bad emotions away, then painting".

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

When I was a small child I saw an abstract painting on the wall by my father. I admired it and wondered how I could do that. As time went on and I grew bigger, I asked to draw something fascinating to me every day with my father and grandfather and that they would teach me all kinds of excitement on how to draw a man’s head or cartoon characters, for example. I also started practicing for myself and also in the middle of the school day. At school, my teacher always said I had to listen and focus on teaching! I learned to draw and did listen at the same time. Later, when I started to be an adult, I started painting. I practiced landscapes first, then some portraits and animals. I made several paintings and was quite happy with most of them. Then came the time when I had to choose a profession, I was advised that as an artist I could not earn enough money to support myself. It can be partly true especially if you are a novice painter and don’t get your name known. So I started studying to be a practical nurse after first completing civilian service in a visual arts-focused kindergarten. I got practical nurse qualifications and I have made the profession for 20 years. In 2020, I started repainting because of covid in the whole world. I got frustrated when I couldn’t move anywhere and the gyms were closed. I also got married last year, after which we went to a honeymoon in Finland for a lighthouse. I had a stroke there and was caught for 15 minutes not dying, luckily I got to the hospital on time for intensive care. I was in the intensive care unit at Turku University Hospital for a few days first, then I got to the rehabilitation department in my hometown. When I got home from month to get started on a half-year battle to get back to normal life. I began to better understand the importance of life and love and family, and thought about making a big board before returning to work. I made a painting called HEAL. I posted it on instagram and the talent scouts noticed it and invited me to participate in Guto Ajayu’s Art Book v.2021 Madrid Edition. I posted three of my works called Heal, Defending Healer, and Brain reset. The book is scheduled to come out in October, and I look forward to it coming. I also got to participate in the Milan International Virtual Art Exhibition at the same time, where I sent three of my works. Heal, Happy autumn and Green energy. The art exhibition and participation in the book have strengthened my artistic development and self-confidence. The artist finally peeled off his shell!

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I see myself as a versatile artist. I don’t want to compartmentalize myself into any single mold, but specifically I want and intend to make all kinds of art. Abstract art, portraits, landscapes, oil paints, photographs, charcoal drawings. Whatever I want! This year I started practicing more abstract art making. I think I did quite well in some of my works. I enjoy artwork in all its forms, sometimes I do art at the bus stop while I wait for the bus to come. At that point, I might draw something on the ground with my shoe and I often take a photo of it and put it on instagram. I also get influences from these things on my paintings with oil paints. I see everything everywhere interesting and I want to make it a work of art. It inspires and gives days joy and comfort. A bad day can be saved by making art.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

I want to communicate joy, hope, love, caring and all the best to the viewer with my art. There is so much evil and disease in the world that I want to make up for it with love. Love cannot be too much. I think I too got a new chance to live through love when I survived a cerebral infarction and I didn’t even die. Now I want to convey to the world the same feeling I experience after surviving! My art is very multidimensional and contains many layers and elements, all of which eventually combine into a whole and convey a large number of thoughts and emotional states that the viewer is allowed to pick up from the air while watching my art.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

My works are created in many different ways..I may first get an idea that I am going to implement. Along the way, the plan may change and change many times because I start to see different things on the board template. Sometimes I just paint sadness on the board, feeling bad and crying. It helps a lot. Sometimes I paint so that I laugh and there is no end to laughter. I'm just a middleman who fills the blank canvas with which I have caught some of the caches of the universe. The universe speaks to me in many ways, in the evening with my eyes closed as I go to bed to see the colors and shapes. I memorize them and fill them the next time I paint. Thus, I never really have to think about what I paint, I just paint where my hand takes the brush. Of course, I also paint very systematically, if someone, for example, orders a commissioned work from me, which must look just like something certain. That, too, is fun, but sometimes I'm even too rigorous and self-critical in terms of leisure in the sense of painting is more fun and it is fun and relaxing.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

The best point in the painting process..hmm..all parts of it!
I love starting a painting, that feeling when I have that feeling and idea and energy. It teases nicely and gets a new day in the morning to a whole new dimension! Of course, it’s also the point in the painting when you’re so deep in it that you don’t see the world around you or hear anything like the rattle of a painting and a brush or art knife as it passes through a canvas. it is that moment when you are in some state of deep meditation and you do not experience worry and stress or any other annoyance in worldly life. The finishing step of the painting process is also interesting. You finally start to see the painting already done and it will appeal to you beautifully. It kind of thanks you for doing it. Maybe that canvas always has someone’s spirit that I paint and I try to bring someone’s spirit world feeling for others to see. Finished painting is nice to show others and see how they react. Adults and children react very differently. In many cases, a child's mind somehow sees better just my way how I created my work, seen and done!

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I am currently working on a few boards at the same time. Two of them are commissioned. Then there are two of my own work that I do alternately, depending on my spirit and mood. The second board is the biggest I have made, 120x150cm and I am going to work on it properly and for a long time, the price will be high for that too. It will probably take a few months for it. The second job is smaller, it becomes freer in all respects, perhaps, though that too can still change many times over. But both are a bit abstract works, a little bit also figurative, and they will exude tremendous power! They capture all evil within them and lock them in for a moment and at night the painting releases evil far into the universe out of the world! I recently have been doing job as a practical nurse, also. That is my profession, but after my daytime job, the evening starts and I do things related to art. I also set up my own business, a business that sells my paintings and now also I set up a shop where my paintings are printed in hoodies, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and bags. Everything you can imagine. So I start expanding my artistic territory and making myself known in the world. Gradually I climb up and more and more people get to see my art. The art of love, goodness, overcoming evil and moving fears away from your own head! Anything is possible here in the world when you work for it my dear friends !!!

Website: www.hermannipellinen.com

Instagram: @hermannipellinen

Facebook: @hermannipellinenart