Biography

Raija Ilmanen (1931 - 2019)
Born in Lappeenranta in 1931. Lived in Helsinki, where she ran a bar-café. After retiring and selling her café, Raija moved back to Lappeenranta. Here she became inspired to make art and started painting, mainly with acrylic colours.Raija also made colourful paper collages with fly-by-night stories. The stories were often rooted in events and encounters in Raija's youth.The paintings were created at a fast pace, even several a day. Raija was also an avid "desk writer."