Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Niina Niskanen

Hi guys I've finally managed to figure out a temporary solution to get TAT up this week - I did a post about journal ideas last week as my computer has decided to simply say no to downloading, saving or copying pictures of any kind to be used alongside the interviews (she can be stubborn - yep, my computers a girl!). The solution involves a LOT of extra effort but worth it to have TAT back yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! This week's featured artist is a fantasy artist, enjoy =D

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what kind of artist you are.
My name is Niina Niskanen. I'm 26 year old fantasy artist living in Finland. I started to paint and draw at very early age. My first drawings were done on my school drawing book and they presented little houses full with little rooms and people doing pretty much everything...watching tv, sitting in a sauna or knitting. I drew every little detail and enjoyed so much what I was doing (I guess it also explains my fascination for miniatures). After high school I studied one year in a free art-school and after that three years in the school of Lybecker graphic art and design. After degree in arts I went to study teaching and instructing. At this moment I´m on a business course and hope to start my own web-shop in the future and sell my cards and posters here in Finland (and abroad) I'm also going to start keeping lectures and courses about creativity and spirituality within art.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome with it?
At this moment with my business studies biggest question is time. How do I fit my "artistic time" to my working time. When I run my own business beside painting and creating new artworks I'm the one taking photos, scanning, running to the post office, making the marketing plans etc. I know I can handle all that because it's all part of job I love and that is doing my own thing.

What message do you try to portray in your work and do you feel you achieve it?
My art is mostly inspired by fairy-tales and myths. My favorite subjects to paint and draw are fairies, unicorns, dragons and fairy-tale illustrations. In Finland fantasy art is mostly found in children book illustrations. There is a new generation of artists rising that paints mythological subjects and I'm very happy about it. My art is very connected to my inner spiritual world. You could say that these fairies are my spirit guides. I also wish to raise awareness about our cultural history by painting subjects of Finnish mythology like different gods, goddesses and nature spirits. Beside these mythological themes I love to paint animals, tea cups and overall just things that makes me smile. Of course I hope they bring smile to the viewer's faces as well.

Do you ever lose your mojo, and if so, how to get it back?
Artistic mojo can get lost sometimes. For example I'm now in process of illustrating a story written by my sister. It tells from an elf and presents all the four seasons. In the end of the summer I was supposed to start illustrations of the chapter that takes part on Christmas. Well... since I wasn't mood for Christmas that time I started to look up Christmas magazines and decorations to get me to the holiday mood and suddenly creative juices were flowing again. One other way is to have a break from painting/creating process and do something completely different like going to a walk or to read a good book.

Tell us where can we found out more about you and your art?
Everyone is welcome to my artblog and my originals and other goodies can be found on my etsy-shop and let's not forget facebook and my fan page there

Thank you Niina for sharing your art and allowing us to dig around inside your artistic brain =)

I love that you feel your roots through your artwork, and that that in turn shares them with others via your artistic expression. Good luck with your course and future business plans, I'm sure you'll make them hugely successful =)

Do you want to join the TAT-ed??

Email me or click the link to find all the details here =)