Arja Valimaki: Tropical Ocean 2022

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Finnish born, Arja Välimäki is an Australian based artist, who starts her daily practice with a coastal walk where she finds an exultant connection to nature. She draws her inspiration from the microscopic details, the natural world and bird's eye views of the landscape. Arja's daily practice is reflected in her abstract interpretation of the way she feels when in nature. She absorbs the details and patterns that the water and sea life leave behind on the sand and rocks. The vivacious arrangements that emerge in Arja's paintings can be interpreted as microscopic images, flora and fauna or photos taken from space.

Arja's paintings depict abstracted underwater scenes where schools of fish swim and swirl in harmony. The impressionist application of a single colour per brush-stroke, each representing a fish, works to create a varied depth of field and an almost three-dimensional appearance. In vibrant blues and greens with pops of red, yellow or magenta, Välimäki's paintings are alive with movement, texture and colour.