About the Author

My name is Arto Järvinen and I work as special education teacher in Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland. At this point in life, way past the halfway mark, I strongly feel my role to be a storyteller, of both real and fictional. That's what it is all about with this painting thing: the display of memories, atmospheres and telling little stories. Everyone is free to experience and interpret them as they like. In addition to painting, I'm writing a historical novel which takes place in 17th Century Sweden and Frankonia of that time (nowadays Upper-Bavarya in Germany). Some of my paintings reflect scenes in that novel but also fully function in their own right.

Through youth I drew all the time and quite variedly. It was an integral part of being me. The only contact with brushes was doing some watercolors and I never felt truly mastering that. I had no experience with acrylic or oil colors. As the years passed even drawing became more sporadic and less determined, mostly due to so many other things occupying my time. But all the time I had this longing and wish to someday return to visual expression.

In late 2017 I realized an immense longing for this but at the same time I felt very insecure about it. In 2014, while functioning as aiding teacher during arts lessons, I had tried acrylics. Although I immediately felt the attraction I also understood that I would need proper instruction for the technical side of painting. Youtube is a treasure chest for many things and didn't disappoint in this regard, either. There are a huge number of excellent teaching videos on painting. I especially enjoyed the ones where you are able to follow the process from start to finish. It wasn't unusual for me to watch these for even two hours, almost like hypnotized. I learned a lot from them.

Now I've been painting for several years as full-time work permits, with dozens of paintings done and a growing number sold. Despite that, I do understand being still a rookie who learns something new each time when picking up the brush. Hopefully I can maintain this healthy attitude, this is how I should feel as long as I'm able to paint. Acknowledging this, it is even more humbling and grand when there are people buying and commissioning my works.