Sirpa Marita Miettinen

Artist Profile

Sirpa Miettinen is a Finnish artist, who has made many award-winning environmental and community artworks.

“The environment and community are the main ingredients in my work. I feel that my work offers ways of initiating communication between the environment, community and artist. I wish to explore this interaction. I feel responsible for the environment and for it’s future and I wish to find suitable ways to approach this field, depending on the situation and the possible environment. I prefer recycled materials, non-physical works, community and interaction”.

In Sirpa’s paintings there is almost sculpture-like surface structure and volume. Characteristics of my art are colours and sceneries borrowed from Africa’s animal, insect and plant world. Sirpa’s artwork can be found in Kuopio Art Museum’s collection.

“Siddharta- and Paradoxal -themes keep repeating themselves in my paintings. The word Paradoxal reminds me of a medicinal name – I hope that my paintings work like a disease. A powerful, physical painting approach exuding decorativeness and sculpture-like painting, have become important in my paintings’ representation and content. I strongly believe in a new resurgence of painting. I personally feel that it has come about as a counter reaction to the electronic global image flood, which is spreading everywhere. Painting is unique. You have to go near to it to experience its spell”.