Playing as an adult requires courage and the right conditions. In an ideal situation, a creative process of illustrator and visual artist Laura Merz begins with a long period of free play, where she’s allowed to relish in the chaos. As the process progresses, the work becomes more disciplined and persistent. “Gazing” has its own role in her work, whether she’s observing her own drawings or nature. 

“I gaze at things until I see something that I can lure out using the power of my imagination. When I create wooden sculptures, I’ll look at and fall in love with different kinds of twigs. In them, I see shapes that spark ideas and can be used as a basis for creation,” Merz explains. 

Shapes and ideas are then transformed into finished images or sculptures, for instance. In the final product, rough edges and its handmade nature are allowed to be on display.  

“I try to leave a sense of roughness and freedom in my finished works, conveying to viewers the playfulness of the process and the pure joy of making art. It’s as if the semi-abstract images serve as a spark that keep the play going in the viewer’s own imagination.” 

In addition to picture books such as 1,001 Creatures and Otusten joukossa, published by Etana Editions and written by Aino Järvinen, Merz has also created public and participatory pieces.

Her latest work is an interactive wooden sculpture Play in Progress, created in collaboration with her father, carpenter Rudi Merz. The installation has previously been exhibited at the Fiskars Village Art and Design Biennale and the Craft Museum of Finland, and its next stop will be in Tokyo.  

Whether it’s a large public piece or an illustration, Merz’s style is unmistakable. Her works are buzzing with various creatures, free-flowing lines, lively surfaces, splashes and spots. She’s a highly enthusiastic artist, always seeking out new experiences, ideas, landscapes, people and techniques.  

For an impatient soul, this means constantly learning the art of patience in the face of new things, although it also creates space for play. Budding ideas take time, and it’s vital to embrace the quiet moments of inactivity. Tolerating uncertainty as part of the creative process has required practice since, as she notes, “creativity cannot be performed”.

For an artist dividing her time between Finland and Germany, Merz’s studio is an important focal point for her, as is the journey from home to it. Cycling to the studio helps her tune into work mode and immerse herself in the world of drawings and ideas.  

“When cycling, your mind starts to wander unwittingly, and creative ideas are formed.”  

Ideas can also spring up when skiing or horse riding. Experience in the field has taught her patience and to trust the processes, although it’s not always easy. Things don’t happen instantly, and new skills aren’t developed overnight. 

The biggest challenge for a perfectionist in this profession is the pressure and schedules. You have to find the courage to trust the process, even when frustration and stress are eating away at your creativity. Sometimes it’s important to retreat to a horse ranch for a month, for example, to do some physical work and to take a break from visual art, before returning with fresh ideas.

Merz’s work is characterised by endless curiosity and the joys of discovery and realisation. Collaborations and participatory projects require presence of mind and the ability to listen, whereas artistic work requires the ability to live in the moment and let go.

Merz is interested in “the synergy that comes from working with others in the creative sector, where you can combine, for example, images and music rather than just images and words, as in the context of children’s books”. The book Absurdit aakkoset, for example – created in collaboration with musician Pentti Luomakangas, whom Merz met at Villa Karo, as well as Harri Hertell – is a work that combines illustrations with both sound and poetry.  

“New experiences and landscapes open up new paths of thinking, as does meeting other artists. Culture shock can do you good”, adds Merz. 

Sometimes those people can be found nearby. Merz spent the coronavirus period at her childhood home in Lohja and ended up in her father’s woodworking shop, the result of which was a collaboration that Merz describes as “a joy and a privilege”.

The joint play allowed them to utilise both of their skills, and the end result is a piece where viewers can join in on the play by assembling their own sculptures from hundreds of unique wooden blocks.