Kirsi Salonen is visual artist, writer, solution-focused art-therapy councellor and make-up artist living in Finland. She’s an award-winning digital painter with over 15 years of experience working in the industry. As a freelancer, she’s had the opportunity to work in many different areas, including cover design, card illustration, concept art in games and comics. She designed London’s Olympic street posters in 2012.

Her comics won the latest Best Comic Award from 'VELES 2019' (out of 175 participants), Best Script award from 'Veles 2015' and Best Art Expression in 'Veles 2017', the International Comic Contest. Her fantasy art has been published in many acclaimed collections such as Ballistic Publishing's Exposé and Exotiqué -books. Her latest book cover arts include Brian Keene's 'Lost Level' -trilogy.

Her makeup skills can be seen in the music video for “Reverse World” by Irish post-rock band God Is an Astronaut.

On Finnish side she was the make-up artist on Raaka-Aine's 'Kuolematon' -music video, directed by Kari Salonen (Vanir Productions, 2015), starring high-profile actors Maija Rissanen & Kai Vaine.

What comes to art therapy and her methods, she likes to explore the fields of psychological narratives between people and bring out difficult emotions and situations into view through comics and make them approachable. Kirsi’s approach to expression revolves around the spectrum of emotion, aspects of epic drama, and the use of classical color palettes in digital paintings. She’s passionate about preserving and appreciating wildlife and always looks for ways to open doors to inspiration and reveal hidden beauty, especially when painting horror and dark fantasy.

Kirsi Salonen, in November 2022.

Here is one of her big printed canvas art on one of her friend's wall. The size is 2 metres tall.

She has also painted a portrait of her Finnish famous grandfather Tapio Rautavaara and the painting got the honour to be permanently placed to Kustaankartano's main hall, at Oulunkylä, Helsinki.

The revealing ceremony 8.3. 2018