Esa Leppänen
Lehtimäki (1967)
Paintings and metal sculptures
Esa Leppänen’s art represents colorful, humorous and strongly original ITE art, in which the artist’s personal touch is immediately recognizable. The works combine a naive painting style and sculptures constructed from recycled metal.
" I still stuff pigs into the paintings at Christmas "
Esa Leppänen’s path to becoming an artist began at a turning point in his life. Leppänen had been painting since his youth. However, painting had been more or less sporadic, with long breaks in between. After being forced to take sick leave from his job as a butcher in the early 2000s, Leppänen had time to stop and get back to making. In 2005, ITE art began to become more well-known and Leppänen became enthusiastic about it. He began to experiment with what could be created from everyday and discarded objects. The first cows and pigs were formed from various containers. The subjects were certainly not a coincidence, but rather subjects that pleased the former meat master. Leppänen says that he still “sticks pigs in paintings at Christmas.” Leppänen sold his first scrap metal sculptures at the scrap market, where they attracted a surprising amount of attention. Some of the sculptures also sold, and the interest of the viewers served as a strong incentive to continue. The positive reception strengthened Leppänen’s confidence in his own work, and thus a more determined artistic path gradually grew from chance and a desire to experiment.
Art from scrap metal
The materials for Esa Leppänen’s works are found both systematically and by chance. He uses recycled objects, discarded metal and everyday scrap objects that he notices while moving around. For example, the Kuusamo fire extinguisher service donates him old foam extinguishers, which often end up in sculptures and get a new life as part of animal figures or other humorous arrangements.
When servicing a car, he often asks permission to peek into a scrapyard, where he might find a useful object. These material finds are not just raw materials, but part of the story of the works. In Leppänen’s hands, an abandoned object takes on a new meaning. The scrap becomes an animal, a figure or a playful arrangement.
Leppänen recently tried cutting figures from old roof sheets with a plasma cutter. The first to be created were old Kleinbus figures. When asked about this particular car model, Esa’s answer is clear: “Even a blind person can see that there are hippies here.” This sentence underlines Leppänen’s work well. It is always accompanied by a fair amount of humor and ingenuity.
The paintings show a gently ironic everyday life
Esa Leppänen’s paintings emphasize storytelling, humor, and everyday observations. He works with a naive approach, where freedom of expression is more important than technical perfection or realistic scale. The paintings are colorful and clear, and they usually have a humorous atmosphere.
The recurring themes are people, animals and everyday situations, with small, surprising twists and turns. The animals behave like people. They move, engage in hobbies, work and wonder about the world around them. Through these humorous settings, Leppänen examines Finnish life with gentle irony.
100 Paintings Gallery
Esa Leppänen’s 100 Paintings Gallery in Lehtimäki is a sales exhibition in an old fabric store, featuring Leppänen’s paintings and scrap metal sculptures. The gallery is open on certain days during the summer season, and Leppänen publishes current opening hours on his Facebook page.