Ninni has studied fine arts at the Turku Drawing School, the Florence Academy of Art, and short courses for professionals in America focusing on portraiture and portraiture. She completed her pedagogical studies at the University of Art and Design (now Aalto University) in 2008. Ninni has taught at the Helsinki Adult Education Center since 2014. “As a teacher, I hope that the atmosphere in the group is good and encouraging. Art education is always a shared journey, where both the student and the teacher learn new things,” she says. Ninni’s work has been exhibited in Finland and in America, Denmark, and Japan, among others. “Making art is always a creative process, finding new ideas, but also introspection. As an artist, I also try to challenge myself technically.” Examples of the teacher’s artistic work: Ninni Heldt Fine Art

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"I am an Irish born visual artist and educator. I graduated from the Painting Department at National college of Art & Design with my BA in Dublin in 2006. Alongside working as an artist, I have been teaching with young people and adults since 2007, and at Helsingin aikuisopisto since 2018, shortly after I moved to Finland. I have completed my one year professional teacher education at HAMK in Finland, as well as my Masters of Arts at Aalto University. As a teacher I believe creating a supportive group atmosphere and the opportunity for peer learning and exchange in addition to the teacher's input is invaluable. My hope is that the students will learn to hone their skills, to trust their instincts, and to enjoy the process of experimentation, rather than focus on rigid ideas of perfect outcomes.” More info www.janehughes.ie

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“I am a long-time visual artist and art teacher. I graduated as a visual artist in the 1990s from the Imatra Art Academy, and later studied as a cultural researcher and philosophy teacher at the University of Helsinki. I have worked as a visual artist, art teacher, philosophy and aesthetics teacher, as well as a writer, evaluator and thesis supervisor for various art schools. I specialize in stylized portraits, eventful milieu images and cityscapes. In my own visual art work, I work mostly using ink wash and watercolor, acrylic paints and collage techniques. I am particularly interested in watercolor mixed media, where the basic techniques and image-making methods of classical watercolor painting are supplemented with the methods of Chinese ink painting and various chalk and colored pencil techniques. I am fascinated by how drawing and painting, which starts from traditional methods but combines them boldly and without prejudice and continues to develop them, The painting method gives the artist new visual dimensions of an almost limitless world. In my teaching, I want to bring these same insights to others.”

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“I graduated with a Master of Arts from Aalto University’s Design program and have also studied art therapy and visual journalism. Creativity and colors have always called me. My career as an interior designer was a dive into colors, shapes, visuality, and building beautiful images. I have been teaching creative painting, interior design, fabric printing, and color theory for ten years. In my courses, we paint creatively and intuitively and build beautiful visual entities in a way that everyone can feel successful. We photograph our work and write about it through self-reflection throughout the process. As a teacher, I am permissive and encouraging. In the course, we only give each other good feedback. After the class, you feel nourished.”

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Jonna has been teaching at Helsinki Adult Education Centre since 2019. As a teacher, she is open and inspiring. “I try to create a positive and creative atmosphere in painting groups. Art should be fun and enjoyable to do alone and in a group. I encourage all students, regardless of their skill level, to the joy of expression. And to be brave.”, Jonna says. As an artist, Jonna is a painter who actively seeks new things, whose work is characterized by free form and the materiality of paint. In the words of art critic, PhD Juha-Heikki Tihinen: “Johansson does not need to bend his work to only one logic or Leitmotiv (leading theme). His art is more like wandering in the world and reflecting on various topics and phenomena that come across.”

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Peppi graduated as a visual artist from Imatra Art School and has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Aalto University. She has taught at Helsinki Adult Education since 2022. “Experience from different teaching places and visual artists of different ages has shown me that at its best, making a picture can offer great experiences and insights. They can be inner treasures and experiences that take you forward in making a picture and being on the verge of something new. Making in itself can be an exciting journey,” Peppi reflects. As an artist, Peppi is most at home with graphic art. In addition to different graphic methods, she makes installations and also combines handmade paper, ceramics and various found objects. Examples of the teacher’s artistic work: Kankkonen, Peppi | Artist Register – Artists' Association of Finland

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Alongside and as a counterbalance to the work of the education manager and art teacher, visual artist Juha Okko paints with acrylic, oil and yoghurt. “Installations consisting of individual paintings and murals or drawings are a typical manifestation of the works. I use photographs of people or works of art as my material, which I edit using collage. The subject of the picture is always carefully thought out, the execution improvised. I am interested in power and deficiency, aggression and weakness, the languages ​​of art and the history of art,” Juha says. Get to know Juha in the artist register.

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“I am a Master of Fine Arts graduate whose everyday life is the best: painting, teaching, eating, swimming, sleeping, people, dogs – full in a good way. I have been teaching at Helsinki Adult Education Center since 2020. My courses progress through exercises, from the basics of making a picture towards self-expression. In my Start Painting courses, I emphasize that you learn by doing and experimenting. As a teacher, I find it important to create a space in my courses that allows for a relaxed and liberated approach to creative work. Focusing on painting, on how the elements of painting, colors, shapes, lights and shadows always create something unique on a two-dimensional surface, is a dizzying journey. Everyone's handwriting is different, every eye sees the world a little differently, it's wonderful. You can't fail in painting.” 

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I put a lot of emphasis on material studies, because for anyone who makes pictures, knowing the material is important. And I like many materials myself, so it's natural to teach them: oil, acrylic, gouache, pastels, watercolors, mixed media... I want to give each student personal instruction in the techniques and things they are interested in, guide them in their own work, to cross their limits if they want, maybe surprise themselves! I have received feedback from students that I have taught them to see more. That's exactly what it's all about. 

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I have a Master of Education degree and am an advocate for holistic well-being. I have been a teacher and trainer for almost two decades, and have perfected my skills as a body and mind skills instructor. Along the way, I have trained as a trauma-aware coach, zone therapist, emotional skills instructor, solution-focused coach, and neurography/neuroart instructor. My working style is warm, solution-focused, and art-based, inspiring. I believe that everyone has the ability to find the resources of their own life, as long as they stop for a moment to listen to themselves. Strengthening the body-mind connection with gentle and creative methods that bring more space to breathe, realize, and grow into everyday life is especially close to my heart. My motto is “Even a small step in your own direction is a big step towards balance.”

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