About Jenna Myllykoski

Jenna Myllykoski is a mixed media artist from Finland who creates abstract artworks that are often somewhere between painting and sculpture. Her art has been described as mysterious, captivating, arresting, multi-faceted, dramatic, dreamlike, dynamic, explosive, powerful, rugged, flowy, expressive, detailed, intuitive, limitless or sometimes enigmatic.

Jenna works mainly with acrylics, inks, natural earth pigments, sprays, sand, stones, aluminum and any other materials that she feels she could make interesting textures and marks with. She creates her own rock-hard texture pastes with materials such as sand and stones to create a variety of multi-dimensional and sculptural surfaces that tease the viewer to touch them. In her sand art, the rough textures and strong structures are often at the centre-stage, teasing the viewer to touch them. You as the viewer have the freedom to see and experience her works in your own unique way.

Freedom, discovery, intuition

Jenna adores the sense of freedom and living in the moment it gives her to create her sand paintings and expressive abstracts, and to experiment with whatever tools and materials she feels would be most suitable. It is a freedom like no other, a complete freedom to "do her" and a real power to decide what comes next. Her painting shed is a place for her to let loose, express herself freely, release anxiety and to stop her busy mind from getting too cluttered.

There are no rules when it comes to Jenna's painting techniques - she loves to experiment and discover new surface textures and layering techniques, and she is endlessly curious about new ways of expressing herself. Sometimes she has a precise plan, but often it is important for her to surrender to her intuition and let the materials and movement take her on a journey. Let them tell their story. Each layer of paint guides her to the next one until all the pieces come together in the end. This process of transformation is something that Jenna finds fascinating - it is food for her never-ending curiosity.

Inspiration

Jenna is often inspired by things like weathered concrete, paint chipping off a windowsill, moonlight on a pitch-black winter's night, rock formations in nature, asymmetry, wind blowing off autumn leaves on a clear and crispy day, ice crystals, quiet streets, foggy mornings, her favourite rock music, or the rich fragrance of late summer.

As a person, Jenna is a dreamer. In the crazy and hectic world of today, painting is her way to simultaneously lose herself in a far away dreamland, and to focus on the moment. A way to escape - or to return to who she is. She wishes that viewers of her paintings also feel like their minds are taken on a personal journey when they look at her paintings. She also hopes that other restless minds can find some kind of solace in the worlds that she has painted.