art2muse · mediums i choose to achieve a visual feast in the viewer’s eye. – arja välimäki...

Art2Muse A vibrant art gallery

Located in the heart of Double Bay, Art2Muse Gallery attracts locals, designers, national and

international art lovers who can also view and purchase artworks online. Established in 2001

by Katrina Hampton, Art2Muse Gallery represents a diverse range of artworks from 45

established artists at an affordable price. The gallery has been operating in Double Bay since

2008 with an exciting program of regular exhibitions and provides ongoing personalised

service. In November 2014 Art2Muse Gallery was the first Australian gallery to be invited to

participate in the Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair in Turkey.

We offer a home consultation service to advise on artworks. An initial visit to your home or

office will include photographing the space and discussing your preferences. We will then

produce a catalogue of recommended artworks superimposed on your walls as a preview

before trying the pieces in your home. The $99 consultation fee is then deducted from your

first art purchase.

Here is a selection of available artworks by Arja Välimäki. Please feel free to contact us for

high resolution photographs and catalogues of artworks you are interested in and to discuss

your requirements.

Katrina Hampton

Director Art2Muse Gallery

Katrina Hampton

Art2Muse Gallery

www.art2muse.com.au

357 New South Head Rd Double Bay Sydney

P. O. Box 211 Woollahra NSW 1350 Australia

Phone: 0424 809 849 Email: katrina.hampton@art2muse.com.au

Arja Välimäki

Finnish born, Arja Välimäki is an Australian based artist, who starts her daily practice with a

coastal walk where she finds an exultant connection to nature. She draws her inspiration from

the microscopic details, the natural world and bird’s eye views of the landscape. Arja’s daily

practice is reflected in her abstract interpretation of the way she feels when in nature. She

absorbs the details and patterns that the water and sea life leave behind on the sand and

rocks. The vivacious arrangements that emerge in Arja’s paintings can be interpreted as

microscopic images, flora and fauna or photos taken from space.

Practicing since the mid-1990s, Arja has completed her BFA and MFA at the University of

NSW, Sydney. She has exhibited widely in both Australia and Finland, including sixteen solo

exhibitions. She has been a finalist in the prestigious Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW;

Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney; Fisher's Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre and the

Sydney Living Museums Meroogal Women’s Art Prize. Arja has won numerous awards and

grants, including a scholarship to study her MFA. Arja was also named 2004 Young Kalevala

Artist of the Year, Finland.

Arja Välimäki’s works are held in public and private collections in Australia, Finland, Hong

Kong and UK.

Upcoming Exhibition Woven Ocean at Art2Muse Gallery 15 – 28 September 2020

Artist Statement

My painting practice explores my connection and love towards nature, especially the

ocean. Underwater scenes are full of movement, texture and bold colour. The titles of the

paintings reveal my inspiration: schools of fish swirling around. I apply my brush strokes while

in a Zen-like state of mind, where my mood dictates the final mark making. This practice is

performed in solitude to sustain the focused, relaxed and joyful mental state. The colours I

use are instinctively chosen to create an almost three-dimensional effect on the two-

dimensional canvas surface. Recently, I have incorporated a new technique to soften areas

of the paintings and to further the depth of field. I love exploring and experimenting with the

mediums I choose to achieve a visual feast in the viewer’s eye.

– Arja Välimäki

Education

2003 Masters of Fine Arts, The University of NSW, College of Fine Arts

1999 Bachelor of Fine Arts, The University of NSW, College of Fine Arts

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2019 Ocean Vista, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney

2018 Ocean Forest, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney

2017 Nordic Taiga, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney

2016 Asia Contemporary Art Show, Hong Kong

2015 Natural Vibrations, Embassy of Finland, ACT

2014 Natural Rhythms, Wollongong Regional Art Gallery

2005 Planting Feet, Wollongong Regional Art Gallery

2004 Sampo - matka - Kalevala - installaatio, Juminkeko, Finland

2003 Sampo: Kalevala and my journey, Kudos Gallery, Sydney

2002 Paljastus, Wollongong Regional Art Gallery

2000 Arja Välimäki: 1999 Resident Artist, Wollongong Regional Art Gallery

1996 Out of a Suitcase, Long Gallery, University of Wollongong

Selected Group Exhibitions

2017 OOTI, NSW Parliament House

2017 Feast, Belconnen Arts Centre, ACT

2015 Affordable Art Fair, Hong Kong

2015 OOTI, NSW Parliament House

1999-2018 Various Group Exhibitions at Wollongong Regional Art Gallery

2011 Fisher's Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre

2014-08 Meroogal Women's Arts Prize, Sydney Living Museums, The Mint

2004 Masters of COFA 2004, Ivan Dougherty Gallery

2004 Sculpture by the Sea

2003 17th Liverpool City Arts Prize 2003, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

2002 The Wynne Prize Finalist, AGNSW

2000-02 frisson, 14th Tamworth Fiber Textile Biennial, Tamworth City Gallery

Selected Grants and Prizes

2017 Handlers Prize: Thirroul Art Prize

2014 Highly Commended: Meroogal Women's Arts Prize, Sydney Living Museums

2011 and 2009 Second Prize: Meroogal Women's Arts Prize, Sydney Living Museums

2010 First Prize: Lingua Loca: Stories from Sea and Land

2007 The Bundanon Trust Regional Artist in Residence Scholarship (Arthur Boyd)

2004 Juminkeko’s Young Kalevala - Artist of the Year, Kuhmo, Finland

2001 Scholarship to study Masters of Fine Arts, UNSW

2000 Research Grant, The University of NSW, College of Fine Arts

1999 One Year: Artist in Residence of Wollongong Art Gallery

1996 NSW Ministry of the Art Multicultural Activities Program

Public Collections

Foreign Minister of Finland, Consulate General, Hong Kong

Embassy of Finland, Canberra

Juminkeko, (Kalevala and Karealisim Exhibition Centre), Finland

Wollongong Art Gallery - 3 works

From 1997 Private collections in Australia and worldwide

Woven Ocean

$5,800 Mixed media on canvas, 183 x 122cm

Woven Ocean

$5,800 Mixed media on canvas, 183 x 122cm

Detail

Ocean Dive

$5,800 Mixed media on canvas, 122 x 183cm

Serene Ocean

$4,450 Mixed media on canvas, 112 x 153cm

Moon Wrasse

$2,690 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 87 x 115cm

Teal Chromis

$1,290 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 69 x 95cm

Moonlight Romance XXI

$1,290 Synthetic polymers on canvas in raw oak frame, 95 x 69cm

Moonlight Romance XXI

$1,290 Synthetic polymers on canvas in raw oak frame, 95 x 69cm

Moonlight Romance IXX

$880 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 61 x 61cm

Moonlight Romance IXX

$880 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 61 x 61cm

Moonlight Romance XXII

$930 Synthetic polymers on canvas in raw oak frame, 59 x 79cm

Moonlight Romance XXII

$930 Synthetic polymers on canvas in raw oak frame, 59 x 79cm

Moonlight Romance XXIII

$930 Synthetic polymers on canvas in raw oak frame, 59 x 79cm

Moonlight Romance XXIII

$930 Synthetic polymers on canvas in raw oak frame, 59 x 79cm

Moonlight Romance XVI

$1,290 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 66 x 95cm

Moonlight Romance XVI

$1,290 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 66 x 95cm

Arctic Dive I

$1,790 Mixed media on canvas, 84 x 84cm

In situ

Arctic Dive II

$1,290 Mixed media on canvas, 71 x 71cm

In situ

Mola-Mola

$4,450 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 115 x 156cm

Mahi-Mahi II

$4,450 Synthetic polymer on canvas in Black Japan Oak frame, 115 x 156cm

Little Mahi-Mahi

$1,290 Synthetic polymer on canvas in Black Japan oak frame, 69 x 95cm

Green Wrasse II

$2,690 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 87 x 115cm

Green Wrasse II

$2,690 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 87 x 115cm

Detail

Moonlight Coral

$4,450 Synthetic polymers on canvas in black oak frame, 115 x 156cm

Chromis Viridis II

$4,450 Synthetic polymer on canvas in Black Japan Oak frame, 115.5 x 156cm

Chromis Viridis V

$4,270 Synthetic polymer on canvas, 112 x 153cm

$4,450 framed in black Japan oak frame, 115 x 156cm

Insitu

Chromis Viridis V

$4,270 Synthetic polymer on canvas, 112 x 153cm

$4,450 framed in black Japan oak frame, 115 x 156cm

Detail

Wild Magenta Chromis

$2,690 Synthetic Polymer on canvas in Black Japan Oak Frame, 87.5 x 115cm

Insitu

Wild Magenta Chromis

$2,690 Synthetic Polymer on canvas in Black Japan Oak Frame, 87.5 x 115cm

Detail

Yellow Pictichromis

$2,690 Synthetic Polymer on canvas in Black Japan Oak Frame, 87.5 x 115cm

Insitu

Yellow Pictichromis

$2,690 Synthetic Polymer on canvas in Black Japan Oak Frame, 87.5 x 115cm

Detail

Whispering Wind

$2,800 Synthetic polymers on canvas, 91 x 122cm

Songs of The Wild Wind

$3,800 Synthetic polymers on canvas, 112 x 153cm