The Artist.
"Art has always been the means to deliver one's feelings. From my
mind I have sketched my message to paper, canvas, or molded a statue which
displays the crucial idea.
I decided my career as an artist when I was 19 years old. About one year
later I held my first individual exhibition. During the 70's and 80's
I signed my name to dozens of exhibition entries in Finland and Sweden.
It was in 1984 when I adopted the artist name Ilja West.
I consider myself very productive - some years more than 200 works have come into life. My subjects float along the labyrinths of human spirit and the life of the present day, of yesterday, and of tomorrow.
The heat and colour of red, very hot bronze, the ancient exotic forms, and the fine scent of oil paint are close to my heart. Any work of mine is not finished until You, dear Friend of Art, have taken a close look at it."