Teemu Järvi on How to Connect to Nature Through Art

An Interview With FCINY’s Artist-in-Residence

Teemu Järvi is a Finnish artist and designer who specializes in capturing the essence of the Northern wilderness within his art. Järvi uses various modalities ranging from printmaking and illustrations to product designs and concepts. Having nature as his muse beautifully ties in with the artist’s last name, “järvi” meaning “lake” in Finnish. Järvi uses traditional tools such as a reed pen, aiming to transport the viewer to the soothing atmosphere of the wilderness. 

With vast experience in the design scene, Järvi has succeeded in several international design competitions, as well as having been featured in a number of magazines around the world. He also co-founded the Järvi&Ruoho design office together with Heikki Ruoho. 

Järvi was FCINY’s artist-in-resident for the month of December. The Institute’s Kia Standertskjöld-Nordenstam sat down for a virtual discussion with the artist to learn more about his creative processes and inspirations. 

Kia began the interview by asking: “It’s been a few weeks since your residency ended. What are your current reflections on the experience? Have these shifted from your initial expectations?”

I feel inspired and energized, I'm approaching 2022 with new artistic ideas.

“Nature and the wilderness are fundamental topics of your art. How did the time in the urban landscape of New York affect your artistic vision? What challenges/expansive moments did you face being distanced from nature?”

As a nature artist and a person who loves to spend all his free time in nature it may sound surprising that I'm drawn to cities, too. I think cities are like forests, they make their own ecosystems within ecosystems and the way people move and interact in cities is endlessly exciting to watch. I don't think cities and forests are so different from each other, they are habitats for people and other creatures.

“I’ve read that you collect the reed yourself from the lakes in Finland, and that the traditional method is sometimes difficult to control, bringing an element of surprise to the outcome. How do you as an artist embrace this organic process? How do the use of these handcrafted tools underline the message you want to convey?”

I'd like to think that the tools I use are timeless. Drawing nature with nature brings me closer to the ways our ancestors made pictures of animals and the world around them. This is a comforting thought - the world around is unpredictable and constantly changing, but a man can still walk in the forest, listen to the wind and draw a deer using reed and ink. And yes, there is always an element of surprise in the work. You have a certain kind of line in mind and you start drawing it...and then nature takes control and the line becomes different than you thought. It feels frustrating at times, but it also makes the process special.

“To pull a quote from your website you state, “The starting point for everything is feeling – capturing the soul of the animal, bird or plant in the illustration.” Could you elaborate a bit on the process of how you do this?  How do you feel this is relevant today, and how does the soul of wilderness reflected through art impact the society at large?”

I spend most of my free time in nature; hiking, fishing, canoeing and skiing. Most of the animals, birds and plants in my art are inspired by a real life encounter; seeing them in nature, how it made me feel. I try to capture that feeling, and I hope people seeing my work feel it too. If my work has a built-in message, it is nature protection and preservation. I try not to preach it, I want people to feel it when they look at my work. I would like to think that this is the power of art, we don’t touch people’s minds but their hearts.

“I’ve read that you focus on sustainable materials that enhance the feeling of wellbeing in people’s environments, wanting to make people feel good with your art. How has the past few years of turbulence affected your artistic creations and the importance of your message?”

I guess we all look for comfort in turbulent times - at least I do. To me the most comforting thing to do is to go walk in a forest, to listen to its sounds, to feel a breeze on my skin and the path under my feet. It feels especially comforting to walk in an old-growth forest where the trees around you are hundreds of years old. They have outlasted generations of human beings, their crises and catastrophes, yet they still stand. My ambition right now is to explore ancient, timeless techniques and tools even further. In terms of tools and materials I have everything I need. I think this is true about our societies as well - we have so much more than we need. It is time we appreciate that.

“What is inspiring you right now? How has your time in NYC and the US art scene affected this?” 

For me, the residence in New York City was all about studying other artists' work and getting inspired about new techniques and ways of seeing the world. I visited museums and galleries to do this, and although I had not planned to do any drawing during my residency, I got so inspired that I ended up drawing sketches every morning. There is a great American tradition in nature art and I have been admiring the delicate, almost poetic way John James Audubon, for example, draws American birds in their natural habitat. Out of more modern artists I find the work of Richard Mayhew especially exciting; he paints abstract yet atmospheric landscapes that make you feel connected to nature. It is not easy to explain, you have to feel it.