Anna-Maija Rissanen was born 1983, in Järvenpää, Finland. She lived from 1995 to 2009 in Brussels, Belgium. She graduated in 2009 with an MA in Fine Arts from the Royal Fine-Arts Academy of Brussels and also qualified as an art teacher. In 2009 she won the first prize of Godecharle of 5,000 € awarded by the Godecharle foundation that gave her the opportunity to continue her studies in China. During 2012-2013 she studied techniques of traditional Chinese painting at the China Art Academy in Hangzhou. From 2019 to 2023 she is conducting Doctor in Fine Arts studies in Shanghai Fine Arts Academy.
Between 2009 and 2019 she has worked as a professional painter helding in total 19 solo exhibitions and taken part in more than 40 group shows that include also art fairs and competitions both international and Finnish. She’s also an art teacher and an active member of the art society in Finland.
Anna-Maija Rissanen is a Belgian-Finnish painter who finds her inspiration in nature. She focuses mainly on painting poetic inner meditative landscapes of water and rock, between western and eastern representation, between abstract and figurative. In her works she concentrates on searching a balance between fragility and power through mixed perspectives and layers. She uses mainly mixed media that includes among others watercolour, acrylics, ink, print and collage. She poses thin layers of colours and creates different kinds of textures to give depth to the works. Her works vary in sizes and in colours.