Interview with Kaisa Koljonen

interviewed by Giorgio Vaselli on July 25, 2008

Kaisa Koljonen is a 16-year-old surreal/abstract artist from Finland. Her works place a special emphasis on energetic compositions and use of color, while being rich in meaningful themes. She is an aspiring member of our movement.

Before starting to create surrealistic/abstract work, did you make any realistic?

Yes, I had that period in drawing about 5-3 years ago, but not in other media. It was quite mechanical and not very healing, so I was never satisfied, but my technique did evolve. Then there came my more surreal/abstract period when I felt I needed to create more to express myself.

Did you have a drawing period before painting? If so, how long?

Well, I started painting about three years ago, before that I mainly drew. You can see that in the way I apply paint.

What media do you create in?

When painting, I often use acrylics on sheets of watercolor paper (which are often collected from my school’s recycling box). I know acrylics the most among all the painting media. They dry fast, so layers can be added without having to wait too long. In addition to it, came now oil painting. I also like using and testing many different tools. Anything goes really; if nothing else is available, I do “installations” by using items that are in the room with me, and of course I also create in my mind.

When did you start creating?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating something; ever since I was able to hold things in my hand.

Was it a natural feeling that you have to create, or is it due to some life-changing influence?

Both. I create because I enjoying creating. Also for social reasons, like being accepted, that have been with me all my life. About three years ago, my style became more dark and surreal, because something happened in my life. Then I didn’t draw just for the sake of drawing anymore, but because I felt I had to express myself, or else I couldn’t deal with the world or myself. A year ago, there was another turning point for me, coming in a series of dreams, which changed my art to become more “full” and colorful, and made my work method to be more about meditation and searching/finding, than just being driven by emotions.

Do you plan to go to university to study art?

I have thought about that, and although it could be very useful, it isn’t a “must”. I won’t try to earn my living only by art, and I like figuring out things (like how to paint) by myself. As much as I’d like to study it, there is also physics or sociology, by which I could support myself without working all the time. So my future is still open.

You seem to keep yourself busy with a lot of paintings simultaneously. Why?

Ah, a question which I’m not sure I want to give/know an answer for. It is too personal for me at the moment. I may be creating so much, because my head is just full of ideas, and it is just like a gateway for Art to channel though me. I see no reason to try to close it, or to weaken the stream, because it feeds my soul all too well. At the moment I’m testing the limits of my gateway. I also fear losing it a bit. This question could lead deep into the question why I paint, so I had better leave it at that for now.

Do you ever leave works unfinished? If so why?

For me it is often about when is the right time to stop before the piece changes into another one. Also, sometimes I’m afraid a bit to complete them. Sometimes I need to take a break with a piece and the work process it requires, until it feels right to continue, which I might even forget. I have many works that other works have pushed aside, and they might never be continued/finished.

Do you ever have an inner feeling that you need to develop in your technique and style?

Yes. I can also feel that I’m developing all the time, sometimes faster than I would like. Often I would like to go deeper into the ways that my current style offers, but my art pushes me to move on.

Do you think it will ever stop?

Yes, I think it can, but it can also start again. It depends mostly on whether I will crash in a theme or my view of the world, which then makes me stay still and meditate. But even so, everything still changes little by little over time, making me to eventually move on.

Are you critical of your own work?

Basically, I think that I paint well, but not well enough. However, when I am creating, or thinking about how to continue working, or what my works are about; well then no, I am just … listening. Even then I may think that “this/that should be done differently”, but then it’s usually about being realistic and logical, not being critical.

Are you very critical/selective of other people’s work?

What I like, or what I can identify with, depends a lot on my mood. My favorite genres are surreal and abstract, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying other types of art. Works also do not have to be “technical masterpieces” for me to enjoy them. If I am asked to give criticism, then I try to be critical. At the exhibitions, I am usually not; then I just let myself open up to take in the artworks that are shown. If I were to pick works to hang on my wall, I would select them carefully.

Who do you consider to be your most powerful influences?

Among the painters, maybe Dali, Robert Venosa, Michelangelo, Josh Kirby, and Antti Silvekoski. The person who has had the most influence on my work, is Devin Townsend who is surprisingly actually a musician by profession. There are a few writers and scientists too.

In what way did they influence you, what have you learned from them?

Townsend has influenced me strongly in how emotions and thoughts in my works evolve into other emotions and thoughts, and how some of the waves are changing things underneath. From painters, I have learned what most people like, and also technical things. In general, how to let your personality come through your works, and how art doesn’t have to be so serious, even if the depicted subjects may be.

Do you think you will ever get to be as good as them? Do you try?

It’s so difficult to compare artworks. Any artwork can be the greatest in the world, and the same with any artist, it just depends on how you look at it. I may feel “Hahaha, Dali goes pale when compared to my works, and I have the potential to do anything!”, but at the same time I may try to reach something that he has done, while thinking what a long way I have to go. At the same time I’m trying to be me, and not become anyone whose works I admire. But I don’t think I will ever be nearly as popular as for example Dali.

What are your plans for the near future? Do you show your work in public?

I should try to get an exhibition for the next year in a gallery or our city’s main library, and get some publicity and chances to make connections with other artists in my area. Other than art, I am starting this fall an emphasis on math/science in high school which will take another three years.

Why did you decide to be involved with the Energy Art Movement?

Partly because my works seemed to mostly belong to that category, and I agreed with the ideas of the movement. I am also interested in seeing how it will develop. I’m not sure if I would have applied later, or at all, if I hadn’t been invited, because I wasn’t sure if I painted well enough (I’m somewhat of a perfectionist).

Do you plan to be in it for the long run?

It depends on how my works and life change. I’m still very young even if I rarely realize it. Who knows if in the future I will start creating other sort of work. At the moment it seems that my works will stay dynamic and “fine-quality”, but I’m not sure how active I will be in the movement. If I ever feel that I don’t agree with the main ideas of it, I will leave.

Why do you prefer to create dynamic pictures? Is it just subconscious or on purpose?

Both. I find dynamic art powerful and beautiful, and I feel that many people do, so they are easy to market. I’m so young that I can’t afford yet to make less dynamic and less technically good-looking art. Then I would get comments like “what does she think she is, they do better in the day-care”. Creating dynamic pictures also comes naturally for me, through my view of the world.

What is your process from beginning to end on a work? Do you first just think about it, or improvise as you go, or both?

My work method is very varied, but it mainly follows my intuition. I often start when I have a feeling that I should. When creating works like Flow or Process, I know very strongly what I want. I start by doing just a few little objects, which I grow and connect, so the composition takes shape gradually. It’s difficult to keep it all working together, and usually the finishing part is the hardest. If I’m not feeling mentally well, then the nature of a work can also turn disturbed. Sometimes I first create a surface in which I see things that I then just make more visible.

How long is it, before you start seeing major problems with a work you made?

Usually when I stop doing it (which means I am just frustrated), or a week after I’ve stopped doing it (which means there might be something really wrong, often with the composition). This period takes some time, depending on when I start again, and understand what I’ve created. This period can also be between work sessions. My art can show me and others my state of being, and not wanting to see this, is usually the problem, not the technical things.

About how much time do you dedicate to your art in a day?

I create something almost every day. Usually at least a 10-minute scrap. Sometimes I paint all day without remembering to eat, even if I have breaks. The average is about one to two hours per day.

Is there anything else you love doing?

Listening to music, reading, writing, playing the guitar (badly), being with friends, and mostly just spending hours without “thinking” about anything (which I’ve now learned is called meditation).

Are you very social, meaning do you often go out with friends?

I like going out with friends, but I’ve also learned to say no. Being with people too much burns me out. I need my own peace, even though I can be sometimes hyperactive.

Do you consider creating art more important than other things? If so why?

Usually no, I feel how other things can be more important. But when it’s about me I do, and I have a good reason for it: I get sick if I don’t create; my mind, or my body, or both. Last year I was out of school about once a week, because I had fevers that could rise quite high in a day, then went back to normal in a few days. Usually that happened when I had no time to create anything. I also lose my will of living quickly if I don’t create. I might say that when I lost something a few years ago, there came something else to fill me, and now I burn with the Flame of Art.