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pictures are screenprints from the video mentioned in the documentation |
Located in the department of Southern Finland, the community of Jaala was independent, with a population of around 1,900, until it was merged with five other communities to form the municipality of Kouvola, one of the larger municipalities in Finland with over 80,000 inhabitants.
The man with the chain saw in the image above, Seppo Laatusen, has an atelier in the area around Jaala where he creates wooden sculptures, which not only decorate the studio, but are also displayed in a 0,5 hectare large wooded area near his home.
Life and works
Seppo Laatunen, who was born in 1938, showed an artistic disposition in his early years, which was evident from all kinds of wooden objects that he made himself at a young age.
His mother, who had a hobby of making all kinds of drawings, recognized his talent for artistic work and she and her husband would have liked him to follow an art education, but their financial situation did not allow this.
A nice event in Seppo's early years reveals something of his way of doing things
At the age of ten young Seppo and his brother went to help their father with logging in a nearby forest. Father sawed and split, the brothers stacked.
Mother had been given them flour, a few litres of buttermilk and some plates for lunch. When it was time to eat, Seppo cut a big hole in a tree stump to mix flour and buttermilk in, causing his father who was watching, to burst out laughing.
After primary school Laatunen went to work as a contractor in areas such as earthmoving and forestry. He was involved in draining marshes and maintaining forests.
Once an adult, he moved out on his own and bought a house in a wooded area, located halfway between the hamlets of Siikava and Hartola, close to his childhood home.
Although Laatunen made creations during his working life, he was only able to fully realise his potential when he retired around the year 2000. In 2008 he built a spacious studio near his home, named Ateljee Pihkakov. where he could exhibit his sculptures. He also bought a half-acre piece of green area from a neighbour to display his larger creations.
The hundreds of wooden sculptures that Laatunen has created, cover a variety of themes.
There is an interesting collection of creations that depict public figures, such as the former Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom and the American politician Donald Trump, above.
Public figures from Finland. such as 11th president Tarja Halonen, and Juha Mieto, Finland’s skiing legend, just as well known personalities from other countries have been depicted also.
In the green area one can see a number of high rising sculptures that depict all kinds of personalities. some around four meters high.
Other sculptures depict animals, such as animals that live in the forest, but also crocodiles.
Most of the sculptures are of people or animals, but a small shed on the property contains a self-made wooden replica of a red car with an open roof, large enough for someone to sit behind the wheel. A surprise for a visitor when the door of the small garage is opened.
Documentation
* Article (October 2021) in newspaper MT Metsä (includes a 2.24m video)
* Article in a weblog about interesting spots in the community of Jaala
* Article on the website of the Finnish Association for Rural Culture and Education MSL
* Article on a regional edition of the Association MSL
Seppo Laatunen
Ateljee Pikhahovi
Ahvenistontie 28,
Hamlet Jaala, municipality of Kouvola, region Kymenlaakso, dept Southern Finland, Finland
visitors welcome
Google Streetview (with photos)
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