Hi everyone! It's time for me to open up and let you dive into the colorful reefs, deep caves and diverse jungles of what art is about for me and where it all started for me as a muralist and making my living as an artist. So jump in the boat as here we go!
In the coming posts I'll be going through my archives and posting interesting things from the past years of my travels, where I actually started to sustain my living by doing murals, as well as work in progress photos and videos and beyond. But first..
Spraycankontrol & Meeting Of Styles Finland 2017.
I want to shortly introduce myself and what my art is about. I'm Niko Lehtola alias Uni (Finnish word for dream) and I'm a self-taught muralist, painter, father and lifetime traveler whose roots are deep in the local hills and snowboarding culture. My surreal, detailed and vibrant art is strongly influenced by graffiti and rap-music and inspired by the native cultures around the World, nature, moments of inner silence and visionary states. When I was young I spent my days skateboarding and filling my sketchbooks. Growing up, snowboarding took all my time and attention until I was introduced to surfing in my early twenties. Through surfing, I developed a strong connection and respect for the ocean. My style had been surreal since young, influenced mainly by comics, graffiti and the art of Dali but surfing brought me new understanding, inspiration, and perspective to life and art that went well beyond the surface waves. Later visits to native communities and their ceremonies further deepened this connection with life and affected my style as an artist.
Trees Can See (left) by Uni & beavers (right) by Piksu, Spraycankontrol 2018.
Thank you for coming by and feel free to sign up to leave a comment! Becoming a member you will also be the first one to know about new posts and available artwork! This is just the initiation! Peace, Niko Ps. If you would like to support my ongoing journey as an artist, please see the Store page or contact to order an artwork, Thank You! - "Whether it's a recycled skate deck, canvas or a large wall, I love to paint improvising. Exploring the little details of nature and the connection that I feel are common to all life." - Uni #uni #artist #nicetomeetyou #travel #inspiration #streetart #murals #graffiti #ecuador #vilcabamba #sacredvalley