Joyce Koskenmaki is a Finnish American artist specializing in drawing and painting. All four of her grandparents came to American over 100 years ago. She earned a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Iowa and has since won numerous awards and grants. That includes a Finlandia Foundation grant to be an Artist-in-Residence at the Nelimarkka Museum in Alajarvi. Joyce has also taught art and been a guest lecturer in various American universities. “Now I live where I have always wanted to live: near where I grew up, among the pine trees, birch trees, rocks, swamps, lakes of northern Michigan.” “One thing I love about living in the U.P. is the birch trees...I have painted them over and over again.  I especially like them with dark evergreens behind them!  And, it does look like Finland up here, no wonder the Finns settled here in such numbers.” “But there is also a sense in which I am deeply concerned with the natural environment which we all share and which is rapidly being endangered by our corporate culture.”

For additional information and images of other Koskenmaki artworks go to: http://webpages.charter.net/joycekoskenmaki/