Esa Tuomiranta (b.1958)

lives at Punkaharju. He graduated in painting from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 1981. Esa works with oil paints and is inspired by the actual painting process. “I spend time at my studio, sitting around, preparing the grounds of paintings and I can spontaneously start to paint with sketch-like details without any precise idea of the results. I work on several paintings at the same time, comparing completed and unfinished paintings, with their dialogue creating new subjects and ideas. The mood and appearance of the works can change quite radically during the painting process. I am also inspired by finding myself in an impasse – by mistakes and working too much on the piece. Painting may require very sharp changes, which creates interesting conflicts in the work. My works can be regarded as journeys of a kind that are marked by the time that is used for them and the working process.” Esa's paintings are based on a human figure or the image of a face that will often become highly allusive as the work proceeds. World events and experiences of life turn into a spatial stream of imagery creating a varying mental landscape. Esa Tuomiranta will exhibit large paintings of forceful colours with a strong expressive approach at the M_itä? Biennale of Contemporary Art at the Kuopio Art Museum.

Photos: Harri Heinonen