Do You Need a Mentor?
I am honored to be invited to mentor at Mastrius and join a group of top art mentors and teachers around the world. Become a member of my mentorship group here: Paivi’s mentorship group
Mastrius has a great concept for mentoring and the mentorship complements my courses. I will still be running my online courses on this site, but when you want to step out of the course-form learning, my mentorship group is for you.
Mentoring vs. Courses
The mentorship group has set times for gatherings while my courses are for self-study.
The mentorship group is ongoing with a monthly fee, while my courses have a one-time fee. Notice, that you don’t have to commit to be in the mentorship group for a year or such, but you can start at anytime and leave at anytime.
The mentoring happens face to face via Zoom. The courses have a community on Facebook, but not group sessions. At Mastrius, you will get a 2-hour group mentoring with me once a month via Zoom, but there’s also another person, a navigator, who organizes another group meeting and supports your experience.
The mentoring is based on discussions and collective learning. The courses have a curriculum and the lessons follow each other in a pedagogical order. In the membership group, I will not be demoing much, but rather answer your questions, and I also have a monthly topic. The mentorship is less linear and more personal. You will get monthly homework and feedback. The group is cozy and private as there’s only maximum 10 members in the group. >> Join My Mentorship Group!
For Aspiring Artists – Are You One of Those?
My mentorship group is for aspiring artists that are a bit further than absolute beginners. You are an aspiring artist if art has been a hobby for sometime already and you now want to level up! You want to grow your skills, find your style, start building your brand, and get feedback on your work.
Let Me Be Your Mentor!
As you may already know, I am a full-time Finnish painter and art instructor. I have taught people all over the world for over 10 years. My paintings are born freely without references, and I want to help you find your own path to that abstract freedom, no matter what supplies you use.
You could call me a late bloomer in art. My background is in computer engineering and industrial design, but over time, I realized my life would be wasted in a cubicle without art. My route into the galleries and official associations hasn’t been traditional, but I made it by continuously challenging my skills and imagination. I want to help you grow your expression so that it becomes captivating and interesting, even for the gatekeepers of the art world.
Art is a space that expands as you create. The world I build with each painting feels bigger than me. And when I paint with intuition, it’s like I am entering rather than creating. I want to help you step away from stiffness and connect your brush or pen to your inner world. To make the invisible visible: that’s what my mentoring is about.
What You Will Learn…
My mentorship group is for artists who want to connect their inner world with imagination and create freely. You can create fully abstract, semi-abstract, or representational art. My specialty is in plants and flowers, but you are free to draw or paint whatever inspires you. We will not use reference photos or models. Instead, we create more loosely and focus on atmosphere and mental connection.
You will learn to fearlessly approach a blank paper or canvas by discovering what to boost and what to unlearn. To truly paint freely, it is important to expand your imagination and connect with your intuition, instead of settling for the first conventional idea that comes to mind.
Together, we will step away from the traditional route and enter the jungle where anything is possible. That said, we will still apply the foundational principles of art, but we will use them more loosely and creatively.
Focus Areas
- Abstraction without references: Connecting lines, shapes, and color
- Expressing your own nature: Light, spirit, and mood
- Making your art more captivating
- Supportive group critiques
- Inspiration and motivation
When Do We Start?
The first session of my mentorship group is on November 3, 2026. See the exact time in the registration page. >> Join My Mentorship Group!
P.S. If you have been following me for a long time, you may remember that I had a group coaching program called The Exploring Artist in 2017 and 2018. But soon after that, my career as an artist took a turn and my paintings started to sell, and with the lack of time, I had to reduce my offerings. But now with all the support from Mastrius, I am able to mentor aspiring artists again. I believe strongly in group learning – you learn from yourself more when you also connect with others. There will be things you have in common and things that are different, and seeing those helps you to grow so much faster than if you struggle alone. >> Join My Mentorship Group!
Art Exhibition in Villa Albert
This week, I have photos from the group exhibition I am currently participating. It’s called Taiteilijat Edelfeltin tunnelmissa – artists in the mood of Edelfelt. And here are four of us from left to right: photographer Niclas Warius, painters Kristina Elo and me, and another photographer Maarit Lehto. The sculptor Kaj Lindgård is also in the exhibition, but missing in the photo.
The red wooden cottage in the background is a summer studio of the famous Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905). It is in the possession of a private foundation Albert Edelfeltin säätiö that cherishes the memory of Edelfelt. Even if it’s just a small cottage, the location in Southern Finland is beautiful – near the sea and very near Porvoo, which is a small town popular with tourists.
Albert Edelfelt painted here in summer and then went to France for winters.
When you look at the studio from the sea, you can see the gallery Villa Albert behind it. The foundation built it in 2019.
The gallery is a nice space with a small shop as well. All visitors who come to see Edelfelt’s studio, come first to the gallery to buy the tickets.
The head person of the gallery Hanna Kaarina Syrjäläinen is very skilled at hanging the exhibitions. I was so satisfied with how my paintings were displayed. Here an editor of a local magazine interviews me before the opening.
The foundation organizes concerts and other cultural events in the gallery. I think my paintings look great behind the grand piano!
I had 12 paintings in this space and four minis in a separate showcase.
The gallery was full in the opening. The gallerist made a lovely speech about the exhibition.
Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of the other artists’ pieces, but do visit these websites to see their work:
It is an honor to be in the company of these artists!
I had a good time in the opening meeting new people who like this kind of art that has a connection to art history.
After working on the paintings alone for a long time, it’s so nice to hear what others see in them and tell about the creation process that started early this year.
My paintings were mostly from this year, but there were some from the last year. I think it is a cohesive collection and as a whole, maybe best what I have presented so far.
The exhibition continues until October 1st, so if you are in Finland this fall, do visit the Albert Edelfelt Studio Museum Villa Albert!
P.S. See the previous posts to see the paintings more closely. I still have a couple of pieces to show you, and now I feel the urge to draw, so more art to come in the next weeks as well!
Autumn Colorings – Video Blog post!
This week, I have a video blog post for you. I talk about this journal spread that I made for my colored pencil diary, but there are also more autumn colorings, art ideas, and inspiration for creating in the middle of life’s small happenings.
In the video, I am talking about colored pencils, the upcoming class about paper dolls and human figures, my friend’s artistic success, blooming orchids, Japanese woodblock print style and style development, and I also draw a Halloween pumpkin from start to finish. There are all kinds of autumn news and autumn colorings!
Autumn Colorings – Watch the Video!
I hope this video inspires you to create and give some extra TLC to your colored pencils!
Links to Related Blog Posts
- The previous video blog post
- The journal spread of Vanda and how she looked a couple of years ago
- Posts about the paintings: The Spirit of the Rose, The Echo of Moss, Forest of Wishes
Links to Other Related Sources
- Eeva Nikunen’s website
- Alice in Wonderland Special at Colouring Heaven’s website
Related Online Classes
- Color intuitively without references: Intuitive Coloring
- Start a colored pencil journal: Fun Botanicum
- Draw scrap reliefs and paper dolls: Animal Inkdom, Magical Inkdom, Decodashery, Doll World is coming soon!
- Paint floral abstracts: Floral Fantasies, Floral Freedom
How Are You, My Friend in Art?
I hope you are coping, and as safe as anyone can now be. It’s fortunate that we can have this electronic connection, and that closed borders don’t prevent us from communicating as we have always done.
Over 5 Years Ago and Now
Over five years ago, when I left my day job to become an online art instructor, I saw the Internet as a space ship where I wanted to jump to. But I was wrong. The Internet isn’t a space ship, it’s a whole new world. We, humans, have built a space to go and survive through crises. With the Internet, we have the teleportal that sci-fi movies and books so cleverly illustrate.
Yes, the Internet has its flaws, and yes, we also need fresh air and human touch. But now when our life gets limited, it brings consolation that you, my friend in art, are there. That I am not only someone living in the north, inside a house with a garden, but someone who has soulmates around the world.
Thank you for being my mate, always loving art, always making time to create, always seeking the beauty around you, inside you. Together, when the physical world quiets down, we can make this other world beautiful and positive, with the power of art. Because now or never, humans need art. Our love and passion for it are needed, also in this other world of our being.
Many of you have met each other in some of my classes. I want this artist community to stay together and grow, despite the times we are living.
Now all classes include the membership for Bloom and Fly in 2020!
I used to have dedicated classes for the membership, but now any class will do. All my classes include the membership for Bloom and Fly in 2020. This also applies to all who have bought my classes this year. If you have bought a class from me earlier this year, email me, and you will get instructions on how to join.
Let’s support each other and create together through these tough times!