Riikka Wesamaa

At the Saari Residence, I will plan and draft a nature-themed painting series. I refer to this collection of future paintings rather poetically as Kosmos (“cosmos”). The paintings relate to thoughts about being in and a part of nature, and to a fascination regarding the entity that, like a vortex, envelopes existence. Based on my plan, I will later create a collection of different sized tempera and oil paintings that in their placement within a space will form one large painting. I will draft by drawing, painting and experimenting with different thematic combinations in a smaller scale. During my residency, I will also work outdoors in order to observe nature and gather material for my paintings. I will also visit nearby medieval churches, the paintings of which I find very interesting. I will be looking at how nature is portrayed in them – not just as a subject or in the nature of the subject but also as rhythm, signs, overall arrangement and in the way they are painted.