Nadja Mikkilä, visual artist in Vihti

I am a Finnish visual artist based in Vihti. I paint in acrylic on canvas and draw in ink on paper. The two have run alongside each other in my work for a long time.

I paint landscapes you will not find on a map. They are abstract and dreamlike, and there is often a storm in them, either on its way or just passed. Some are places that return in dreams decades after they were lived.

Water keeps returning in my work. There is something in it I cannot explain in words but recognise the moment I see it.

In my ink drawings, an animal is never just an animal. It is a creature with feelings and a will of its own. Sometimes mythical, sometimes ordinary, but always reflecting something in us. I draw unicorns, regal bears and sea creatures because animals and nature are worth more than we tend to remember.

The two techniques require opposite states of mind. Abstract painting calls for sensing colour and emptying the mind; illustration calls for close attention to every line. One is watching clouds and finding form, the other is assembling a puzzle.

Most works can be bought directly from me. I also take commissions for drawings, priced by subject and size.