Ilona Rinne

About me

Back to creating

I am Ilona, a Belgium-based artist originally coming from Finland. I am currently focusing on printmaking as my primary art medium, especially aquatint and collagraphs but also exploring with drawing, painting and textile.

I was always interested in creating and at a young age started working with textiles – knitting, crocheting and sewing. I went to art classes when growing up but eventually felt more limited and discouraged than inspired by the predefined themes. Those years did however give me a good base in art through exploring and experimenting with different techniques.

During the pandemic my passion for creating art was restarted as I received a set of aquarelle paints as a gift and have been actively building on my art practice since then. I have a Master’s degree in Economics from University of Turku and am currently studying printmaking at Knst. Hasselt.

The Vision

Igniting imagination

Ilona is a storyteller through her art. Her illustrative work leaves room for interpretation and imagination. Therefore, the story behind each piece might be different for everyone. She gets inspired by everyday things like plants, animals, people and the camera roll of her phone.

Her work usually starts with a seemingly purposeless or insignificant object and the story evolves throughout the process. She likes to explore different techniques and draws further inspiration from her experimentation. Ilona is currently focusing on printmaking, especially aquatint and collagraphs. Her works have a moody feel and they create a glimpse into a moment that could be just mundane or more pivotal depending on the story of the viewer creates for it.