Art By Katri
Katri Pethman – painter, photographer and graphic artist – weaves yoga philosophy with art through acrylic and mixed media. Her work combines strong, vibrant colors in abstract forms, enhanced by a sense of mystery and intuitive spirituality. Through her art, she conveys stillness, beauty, love and wisdom – a celebration of the essence of life.
Written about me
Katri Pethman – A journey through color, form and emotions
2025-02-17 By Artportable editors
To step into Katri Pethman's artistic world is to enter a universe of color, energy and emotional depth. Born in Finland in 1978 and residing in Ekerö, Sweden, since 2001, Katri has developed a unique artistic voice that weaves together intuition, emotion and technique in a captivating way.
From vision to canvas
Katri describes her artistic process as a journey between the intuitive and the structured. Often, creation begins with an inner vision – an image that appears when she closes her eyes. This vision can be abstract or figurative, but always carries a strong emotion. To bring these inner images to life on the canvas, she allows the process to be free and dynamic.
In the early stages, she often works with acrylic paint, ink and textures. The paint is allowed to flow freely, driven by a feeling that needs to be expressed. Then, layers upon layers of emotion and expression can be built up, creating paintings with depth and complexity. The final details are sometimes added with oil paint to create a softer, more sensual surface.
A meeting between the intuitive and the planned
Despite her spontaneous approach, there is also a more structured element to her work. Some works begin with a sketch, especially when she paints animal portraits. Here, intuition is combined with a conscious eye for form and detail, resulting in artworks where life and presence are strongly felt.
Photography – another side of artistry
In addition to painting, photography is a central part of Katri’s artistic expression. Her photos capture another dimension of her creation – the stillness of nature. Armed with her mobile camera, she documents moments during daily walks in the scenic surroundings where she lives. These images have become a collection of visual stories spanning more than a decade, testifying to her deep love for nature and its changing beauty.
Iitinseutu
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2024-07-02 By Lumimarja Tirronen​
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"On Tuesday, the joint exhibition Vuolenkoski yhdistää by Katri Pethman and Juha Tanhua opened at the village hall in Iitti’s church village. In addition to their connection to Vuolenkoski, the artists share a fluid approach where figurative and abstract elements intertwine, overlap, and dissolve into one another.
Katri Pethman, who now resides on the island of Ekerö in Sweden, has her roots in Vuolenkoski. In addition to being an artist, she works with horses and as a yoga teacher—interests that are also reflected in the exhibition. Her paintings range from abstract to figurative, and her color palette evokes the work of Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) as well as painters influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s color theory."