Spring in the Shadow of the Spruce
Jamie Ranta’s works are nature-themed acrylic paintings depicting landscapes from South Ostrobothnia.
She spends a great deal of time walking in nature, exploring its energies and her own connection to it: “In my works, I aim to portray more the feeling, scents, essence, and impressions rather than specific places,” she explains. These sensations transform into strong colors in her paintings—sometimes even neon hues. Ranta paints multiple thin layers, occasionally allowing the paint to drip, depending on the character of the view. She is fascinated by the layered nature of landscapes, as well as by a certain sense of temporal layering.
In nature, it is also easy to sense timelessness. Everything in nature is in constant change; no single moment is ever the same twice. Ranta often plays with the simplicity of a scene, since even a simple moment is, to her, multidimensional: “Likewise, I am interested in views that are full of activity. My aim is to depict the perfect order of nature, imitating it through my slightly abstract painting style. In these scenes, it is easy to feel oneself as part of nature, part of perfection.”
The work Spring (in the Shadow of the Spruce) was inspired by the light of spring. The gaze is directed toward a window, a building that symbolizes humanity. Light reflects from the window, bringing the entire yard—the space created by humans within nature—into the presence of the work. Light glimmers in small spots through the branches of the spruce, speckling the view and offering a reminder of the awakening of a new spring. The house is abandoned; something has ended, yet at the same time something is always beginning. Beginning and end are contained within the same moment.