The enchanted artist
Himmeli maker Eija Koski's childhood memories go back to her aunt's farmhouse in Finland's Northern Savo region, where a himmeli was always on display for Christmas.
"I remember how I used to stare at the himmeli slowly swaying with the draft while the adults were just talking," says Koski. "I became enchanted by it!" Twenty years later Koski went to a course on how to make a himmeli. "At that moment I just knew that this was my thing!"
Eventually she became a himmeli artist and she is currently fully dedicated to himmelis: She travels round the world teaching courses, she has shown her work in innumerable exhibitions and her first book, Himmeli (published by Maahenki, 2012), is in its fifth printing. Her Himmeli books are published in five languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish and Finnish.
According to Koski, the himmeli boom is part of the slow movement. "I think people are looking to reconnect with their heritage," she says. "Artisanal handicrafts are becoming more popular." Often the himmeli-making courses are attended by "urban-style youngsters, and not just women but also men."
Koski, who lives in a farm near Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland, uses only organic rye from her own field to make her himmelis. She selects and hand cuts her own rye straws. Even though himmelis seem quite geometrical and architectural, "it's easy to become addicted," she says. Many designers consider the himmeli more of a sculpture than an ornament.
Watch Eija Koski´s story (in English)
Youtube video Himmelist Eija Koski
