Sofia Tuominen was born in Finland, moving to Horsham at the age of 12. She has always been creative, but has struggled with mental health and channels these emotions into her paintings. Although much of her output has dark themes and sexual symbolism, there are still moments of light, as AAH discovers…

ALTER EGO

As a child growing up in Helsinki, Sofia loved to draw. Art provided an escape from reality, and while other children were outside playing, Sofia preferred to be left alone, creating a fantasy world of dragons and monsters. She also liked dressing up in costumes inspired by rock band Lordi, best known outside Finland for their 2006 Eurovision triumph.

Aged 10, she discovered Japanese manga and anime, which has influenced her work ever since. ‘I became quite obsessed by it,’ said Sofia. ‘I particularly liked stories with a strong heroine and many of my paintings depict women with big eyes, like you see in manga. These women are my alter egos. There is a darkness in much of the work, with scenes of torture, blood and death, as they’re an expression of how I felt.’

DEEP EMOTIONS

Sofia has suffered with anxiety and depression from a young age. After her family moved to Horsham eight years ago, she endured difficult teenage years. She left school at 15 and art has been her main focus in the five years since. Sofia said: ‘I have a love/hate relationship with art. Sometimes I know that I have not been good enough and other times I feel I’ve done well. I always expect more from myself. Do I feel happy when I finish a painting? I’m not sure if I do. But It does mean something to me when someone likes my work, even if I know they are not for everyone.’ 

 BEAUTY & POSITIVITY

Two years ago, Sofia joined Rocket Artists, a Brighton-based group that celebrates diversity. She has exhibited with the group, and also contributed six paintings to NTKO (Not That Kind Of) Gallery in Lincolnshire, which were auctioned for a mental health charity. One of her most striking works, ‘Goddess of Sexual Health’, was selected for an exhibition called ‘Humanity’, held at Sotheby’s in London and hosted by arts charity, Outside In. 

Sofia said: ‘I was terrified by the thought of attending the exhibition and wondered what the outcome would be. Would it be worth it? But the exhibition went well. The painting has lots of sexual references, as it represents a bad experience in a personal relationship. Behind the central female figure, birds and butterflies symbolise innocence and sexual freedom. For me, it is about darkness and negativity, but the woman who bought it saw beauty and positivity.’

INNER STRENGTH

One of Sofia’s paintings has featured on the bottle of a Lush perfume, called ‘Karma’. The work features flowers in the form of bacteria, contrasting the artist’s love of flowers and fear of germs. It has a brighter colour palette than much of Sofia’s work, which often features splattered paint and thick layers of red, black and gold. Flowers and butterflies are a regular occurrence and can sometimes provide positivity and light against an otherwise dark theme.

Sofia said: ‘I never really know when a painting is finished, as I keep adding layers and details, depending on my mood, until I get a feeling that it’s time to stop. One painting I am particularly proud of is ‘Strength’ and you can sense that something has happened to the girl in the picture. She is scared of something and is hiding a bruised eye, but deep down she has a strength that draws people in.’ 

ANIMAL MAGIC

Now 20, Sofia has recently started painting animals. She shares her studio with Charlie, a guinea pig, and he is featured in several paintings. Others include cats wearing kimonos, or bold pictures of a bluebird in flight. ‘Earth in Your Hands’ offers a more representational interpretation of a macaw, albeit with the same unrestrained splashes of colour that define her work. 

Sofia said: ‘I think my mental health has improved in adulthood. When I was a teenager, I never really found the help I needed, but now when I’m down, I’m able to help myself get back up. I see a little bit of light in my work now, especially in the animal paintings. I see more of what I want to see in the world from animals than I do from people. I don't understand people and neither do animals, and perhaps that’s why I feel a connection.’ 

BEAUTIFUL WORLD

As well as painting prolifically – averaging two paintings a week – Sofia is developing her skills with iPad drawings, which have a clear Japanese anime influence. She hopes to develop a website and social media pages too, while continuing her association with Rocket Artists and Outside In. Sofia said: ‘My dream is to have my own dog, as I’ve always wanted one, and make a career out of being an artist. One day, I hope to see the world as a beautiful thing, like the world I could see as a child.’  

WORDS: BEN MORRIS / PHOTOS: ALAN WRIGHT/SOFIA TUOMINEN

You can see Sofia’s work at www.outsidein.org.uk/galleries/urmasdejormas/