Photo by Ananya Tanttu
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Let it be a picture book, pattern design, illustration, unique piece or everyday life, drawing is a way of thinking for me. It is my process of making sense of this world.
Driven by a constant fascination with modularity in my surroundings and in nature, my work embraces curiosity and gives space for conversations. Affected by the Nordic light conditions my palette combines peculiar colours. I believe that illustrations and objects made with care and playfulness will light up our curiosity. I always start with hand drawn or ink painted elements.
When it comes to artworks my practice of working is almost meditative. The works evoke the fragility of the present moment. Using ink or oirl pastels on paper without planning in advance creates a process where you can’t hide anything. What I find beautiful in this, is that nothing gets erased, all small stains become part of the final piece.
I come from a creative family - interior designer mother, furniture designer father - where curiosity has been treasured and coincidences embraced. I’m an alumnus of both the Hungarian Fine Art Academy as well as the Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland.
I co-founded Etana Editions, an award winning independent picture book publisher in 2014, and I worked there till June 2025 with talented authors and illustrators on stories for readers of all ages, and represented their works worldwide.
Some of the things I especially like are: the sea, fog, peculiar colours, active listening, the scent of freshly cut grass, rosemary, black current, plants, dancing with closed eyes, sharing a meal with family and friends, autumn storms…
