Crumplings Workshop

Thanks for stopping by! I’m an artist currently based in the UK, though originally from Finland. I make sculptures and art dolls out of paper mache, textiles and fibres, clays, pressed plants, and found materials.

In my artworks I like to combine mundane and fantastical concepts in a playful manner (sort of exploring almost-plausible neighbouring worlds). Recently I’ve also been into building automata which work through hand-turned cranks – I love how even a simple mechanism for movement can add so much soul to a sculpture and transform it into a little story of its own.

Paper mache has been my primary technique since I started sculpting in the early 2010’s. I love its versatility, and how easily you can combine it with other materials for incredibly imaginative results. Throughout the years I’ve used crumpled newspapers and wheat paste to build all sorts of things from the tiniest miniature worlds to three-meter long giraffes and life-sized animals released in urban environments (some of which may have been entirely uncommissioned, so don’t tell anyone it was me).

Before moving to the UK, I studied art in the wonderful Savonlinna Senior Secondary School of Arts, then biology at Helsinki Uni. I sold paintings and sculptures here and there, but built my career in another field entirely. My career eventually landed me in London, where I met my now husband and recently set up a workshop in our spare bedroom in order to focus more on sculpting once again.

When I’m not working on my little guys – as my husband calls them – we spend time hiking in the countryside with our fluffy dog Crumpet (no relation… though I am sure he would adopt any crumplings handed to him). I also do distance running and occasionally go surfing in Cornwall, and through the winter you can catch me swimming in the frosty ponds of Hampstead Heath.

I believe life is best lived through tangible projects and activities that connect us to our environment and shape the material world around us for the better – be it challenging outdoorsy adventures, crafting beautiful artworks by hand, or just baking a comforting apple pie on a chilly day. I like to think of humans as pairs of hands and feet first and foremost, not just our abstract thoughts and the verbal noise in our heads we so easily identify with.

I don’t do a lot of social media on the big platforms, so the best way to follow my work is probably through the email newsletter below. I appreciate each and every subscriber immensely – it means a lot to know that someone likes what I make! The newsletter is free and I don’t spam.