I met interesting characters, and shared meals, saunas, and laughter and all of a sudden my time was up. A few days prior to my leaving and a few hours before my last sauna and potluck meal, I had a little exhibition and all was revealed.

So, the following photos are of my artwork at Hub Feenix. I miss the space, the freedom, the inspiration, the forests, the swims, the bike rides, the creatures, the carving of wood in the open air, the people and the ever changing sky. Thank you for giving me this experience. You can follow me and my next artistic endeavors on ismanahhayes9987@instagram

My first two weeks were a mix of personal struggle and excitement. I needed to shrug off all the tension from the weeks leading up to this amazing adventure, this sanctuary in the forest that I allowed myself to embrace and reep the fruits from (quite literally). This was my time. Time for me, Ismanah artist.
I started playing with my newly acquired paint sticks. I painted me, unsure of what was to evolve, nervous. I moved on to tree tops from my studio, to trees, to log piles to huts, and found that every day, there was something else I needed to draw or paint, or taste. Mushrooms sprung up everywhere from the eratic rainfalls and birds sung in unusual tones or hammered away at the trees high up. I was inspired. How could I not be? Then of course, I discovered wood and set out willfully to carve a rotten log. It now sits as the head of an unfinished totem pole on my kitchen table in Madrid.

The month went fast. The weather changed from cold and rainy and layers of clothes under the blankets at night to long warm sunny days where the beautiful, enormous lake tempted me and drew me into its fresh waters every day. I swam with watchful swans and jumping frogs, and out far away from the large green lilly pads skirting the banks . Every evening revealed ever-changing wide skies as I lay on my back and paddled. Pine and birch tree hugged the lake and hid families of deer and huge quick running hares. lush tones of green and brown everywhere. Was this paradise?

What was to come would then onwards be a discovery. I had stuffed paper and paints and pastels of every nature, pencils and carving tools, charcoal and winter clothes (and strangely), a pair of high-heeled shoes in my over-weight baggage.

I had no plan, only that I wanted to dedicate as much time as I could possibly dedicate to artistic creation. I thought I would go on little excursions and explore a section of this incredible country I had never even imagined visiting but my determination to create as much as possible prevented that from happening fully.

On the evening of July 1st, I stepped off a bus in a practically desolate train station with pine trees in one direction and a few modern looking supermarkets across the tracks. I tried to imagine where the town could be hidden as my eyes and legs dragged me and my two suitcases full of art materials to the familiar " Lidl", a supermarket I would later, on regular occasions venture to on an old blue bike with a pedal brake not unlike the ones I used to ride as a child, compliments of Hub Feenix.

What a wonderfully surprising and rewarding experience!
As a recent MFA graduate and early career artist, I found Hub Feenix to be welcoming and inspiring. The Hub offers so much for the creative mind to work, play and rest.

During my two month stay, I felt like I was able to have a taste of the Finnish culture, engaging with the local art community in Helsinki and Fiskar. I also centered myself in the quiet of nature that is so readily accessible from home base.

As a multidisciplinary artist, I was excited to find a great deal of freedom provided by the facilities, especially the wood shop! Their vision for the future maker’s space and studios is inspiring and something I will be keeping a close eye on moving forward.

I am wildly grateful for my time at the Hub and especially to the warm, welcoming and energizing members who work hard to make this place a reality.

Hi there, My name is Dymphie Kies and I am living in The Netherlands. As a visual artist and a systemic coach I guide people to understand their life stories and the underlaying emotions which gave direction. Light influences people and life by its colors, its intensity, its warmth. In Finland I found an overwhelming nature with pure blue sky, pure light and real silence. Two years ago I got the opportunity to continue working this theme as an AiR at HUB Feenix in Meltola. Thanks to the international open minded environment and the diversity of artists was working here a very refreshing and stimulating period for me. Nevertheless I have the feeling that the theme “Light in Finland” is not completed yet, it needs a further, perhaps deeper investigation which is my objective for the coming weeks. If you are interested in the results of the earlier AiR periods then have a look at the blogs on my website www.dymphiekies.nl
Warm greetings!!

The winter landscape in Meltola has left an impression on my subconscious mind. December’s darkness and elongated blue hours created a space for me that fostered deep-set introspection. These conditions, though severe, were both formative as well as restorative, offering me the frame of mind for reflection and course correction. The quietude of the snow, absorbing sound cloaked the earth in a silence I’ve never beheld before, it made me reverent. My time at the Hub Feenix led me to a place of resolve both personally and professionally, encouraging me to embrace a new path forward as both a human being and as well as a creative. Surrounded by a community filled with compassion and warmth, I found not only a home away from home but also a space for internal alignment.

during my time at the residency, I did some dyeing with local mushrooms like cortinarius and sarcodon squamosus. it was really fun to walk around in the forest surrounding the area during the end of mushroom season with my basket and picking the best looking mushrooms! i ended up with four skeins of lettlopi icelandic yarn.
while at hub feenix, i worked on some small handsewn patchwork quilts and sketched out some new ideas for the next ones! apart from the artistic work done there, i had a great time going to the sauna each week, playing games with all the volunteers, eating piparkakku, talking to the sheep and building a snow woman!!

It’s two days since I left Hub Feenix.
I already miss it. Several debuts to me during the past month! My first time to do artist residency, to make art while travelling, to make canvas stretchers by myself, to do monotype printing, to do traditional Finnish sauna, to see midnight sun, to have vegetarian diet for whole month, and to have overseas collector for my art! So touched to know my art speaks to someone on the other side of the earth.

At Hub Feenix, artists are free to decide how to use the time. I didn’t make any presumptions but opened up myself. End up I completed one painting and started the 2nd piece. It’s a new series inspired not only by the nature but also my reflections on Finnish life style and human activities.

Thanks to the amazing staff of Hub Feenix who made this residency successful and fruitful! Also thanks to my fellow resident artists for sharing this wonderful memory with me.

What a lovely sharing session with other resident artists at Hub Feenix! I talked about my art journey starting 4 years ago, what I have been through, my signature “My Wonderland” series, and the art piece I am working on now — inspired by the nature here and Finnish nature-loving lifestyle.

The resident artists at Hub Feenix come from different countries. Their expertise ranges from painting, animation, comics, improvised music, digital art to film making! I have learned a lot from them. Hub Feenix is a centre of creativity and well-being. Many of its staff and volunteers are also artists. Thanks for listening to my sharing and your comments and encouragement!

What a lovely sharing session with other resident artists at Hub Feenix! I talked about my art journey starting 4 years ago, what I have been through, my signature “My Wonderland” series, and the art piece I am working on now — inspired by the nature here and Finnish nature-loving lifestyle.

The resident artists at Hub Feenix come from different countries. Their expertise ranges from painting, animation, comics, improvised music, digital art to film making! I have learned a lot from them. Hub Feenix is a centre of creativity and well-being. Many of its staff and volunteers are also artists. Thanks for listening to my sharing and your comments and encouragement!

Photo by fellow resident artist Lisa Labracio

My first self-made stretcher bars! (and first time to do woodworks since my DT lesson back in secondary school!)

I always paint on stretched canvas but it’s difficult (and stupid) to bring them from Hong Kong to Finland by plane. So I brought a canvas roll instead. But it felt a bit different to paint on unstretched “soft canvas piece”. Thanks to Clint, another resident artist at Hub Feenix. He suggested me doing the stretcher bars here, and gave me a step-by-step workshop: cutting the bars into desired lengths, sanding the edges, combining them into a frame with drill, and stretching the canvas over the frame.
Now I can paint on a stretched canvas!

Woodwork can be fun, when having the right teacher and tools!