Reijo Raekallio

On year 2020 we got to celebrate our 30th anniversary as an artist.

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Painter Reijo Raekallio

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A photographer of movement and light. He has been painting art from living life for 50 years. whether the subject is people, reindeer or just nature, movement. Atmosphere and light are the most important characteristics of paintings. Reijo paints based on an image in his mind and both human and animal subjects are slightly caricatured. The color use of dark, deep watercolors has been considered magnificently colorful.

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Kotigalleria Pöntsönkylä, 18 km from Levi, Muoniontietä is a multi-faceted, artist-designed building, an attraction in itself, where a weekly changing exhibition of about a hundred paintings is always on display.

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The artist's wife, Maria Grandell, manages the gallery and the cafe connected to it, as well as the accommodation and restaurant operations. Maria is a hotel and restaurant manager by training. Being fluent in the language, he guides and introduces the gallery to groups of foreigners.

Painter Reijo Markku Raekallio was born on June 22, 1950 in Kittilä, the second youngest of 11 children in an immigrant family from Petsamo. Mother Aili b. Tervo, father Urho Raekallio were small farmers.

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Reijo started painting as a hobby in 1968. 1969 1st own exhibition in Kittilä and 1st entry to the acclaimed exhibition Ars Arctica in Rovaniemi. 1974-77 Lahti art school, 1978 member of the Association of Painters, 1977.81 as a teacher in Pälkäne for a semester and 3 years at the Lapland art school in Tornio.

1981 move to Pöntsö, construction of a studio, 1983-89 member of Lapland's art committee for 3 years. 3 years as chairman. Kittilä Art Prize 1988.

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1992-98 Member of the State Fine Arts Commission

1985 Ars Arctica award, Cross of Merit of the Order of the Finnish Lion 2000

1988 the gallery is completed and a continuous exhibition begins, open every day for 30 years

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He has participated in the exhibitions of young artists, the artists' club, the kingdom and visual arts organizations a total of 15 times. Private exhibitions: 13 in Helsinki, 10 in Rovaniemi, Oulu, Turku, Tampere, Kuopio, Vaasa, Pori and Savonlinna. Participated in 96 joint exhibitions, 68 solo exhibitions, among them abroad: Hungary, Sweden, USA, Germany, France, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal, Norway.

Works in collections: Rovaniemi, Kemi, Aine, Oulu, Mariehamn, Joensuu art museums. In the collections of the state, municipalities and cities. Gabrovo House of Humor and Satire in Bulgaria. In Hantimansinski, Siberia, and in numerous private collections in Finland, Europe, America, Australia and Asia.

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Reijo's painting style is to do several things at the same time - he sketches, draws, paints. Is very productive. In addition, over the years, he has developed into quite a player in his hobby of playing the mandolin.