Raija Uosikkinen – Ceramics from Arabia

Raija mastered all the decoration techniques in the art industry and often found inspiration in Finnish nature, especially her allotment garden near Arabia’s factory. She traveled extensively to places like Asia and the Americas, which influenced her designs.

Arabia began to make a wide range of collectibles in the 1970s. During these years, Raija Uosikkinen came to design two of the factory’s series of collectible plates: the Kalevala annual plates and the Christmas plate series.

Raija Uosikkinen drawing in her sketch book

Objects from the Emilia series in 1959

During her career, Raija took part in many Finnish and foreign exhibi­tions. In addition to her work, she taught at the Toimela Adult Education Institute and the University of Art and Design in Helsinki.

Raija Uosikkinen’s friends described her as helpful, down to earth, and good-humored. Her positive outlook on life is evident to anyone who looks at the light and playful Emilia series from 1959. The joy conveyed in her motifs makes her pieces attractive to many collectors today.