Contact: artkaijasm@gmail.com

Willowcreek Studio, 411 Bellamy Mills Road, Almonte

Kaija Savinainen lives in rural Mississippi Mills on her farm property surrounded by her spectacular and inspirational gardens and her animals. She has a BFA from the University of Lethbridge and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa.

“Do not try to do extraordinary things but do ordinary things with intensity” (Canadian artist and author Emily Carr, Hundreds and Thousands: The Journals of Emily Carr, 1966). A mantra I observe and live by. Creativity has always been with me for as long as I can remember. I believe my path was predetermined and I never thought to question it otherwise.

I am a painter, printmaker, teacher, mom, an active person who loves to spend time outdoors, running, skiing, cycling, canoeing, hiking, camping, gardening, and a caretaker of many creatures domestic and wild on our rural property. I have an endless curiosity of the living natural world. My paintings are the culmination of my daily observations from at home and abroad.

As a painter my style of work is best described as bold, using vivid colours, maintaining a looseness of brushwork, seeking the emotional, spiritual qualities/connections of place as I have experienced it.