Siiri Haarla: “Painting is serious play”

What does painting mean to you?

“Painting is a way for me to become myself. It’s also a way of constructing the world—my contribution to the meaning of the real world. Painting is serious play: suffering from a sense of inadequacy and experiencing deep joy when I manage to show something new, even to myself—something that has just come into being.
Painting is all the paintings I’ve seen and those I can imagine. It is a world of beauty in my mind, and the most intimate encounters I’ve had in my life. My grandmother, an opera singer, once said she enchanted both her husbands with her voice. I believe I won mine with my paintings—at least I like to think so.”

What is the most important thing you learned in art school?

“I learned that by following others, you become like them—and then my own contribution wouldn’t really matter. During my studies, I had one role model: Leena Luostarinen. She was the examiner for my thesis. That meeting was very important. I was impressed by her personality and her presence as an artist. But it also helped me move beyond the need for idols. The most important thing I learned was how to become independent.”

What is the most important thing you want to teach your students?

“I want to teach that the most important thing is to find your own path—and not to try to calculate your way there. As a teacher, I can offer suggestions for how to proceed with a painting, just as the painting itself does. The best results come when a student dares to follow the right suggestions, reject the wrong ones, and learn to tell the difference.
You learn to paint by doing, by looking, and by thinking. A teacher can lend their eyes and share their experiences, but ultimately, we each have only our own. What matters most is the desire to paint.”

What’s the best thing about the Free Art School?

“The best thing is that teaching is designed on art’s own terms.”

“In my opinion, a good art school should focus on helping each student grow and learn to create strong works of art—to become an artist. Theoretical studies support that goal, but at the Free Art School, most of the time is spent with a brush in hand—not in lecture halls or at computer screens.
The Free Art School is also a wonderfully informal and trust-based community.”

Siiri Haarla

• Visual artist
• Born in 1986
• Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, and the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
• Works in Helsinki and Berlin
• Teaches second-year painting students and supervises thesis work at the Free Art School