The birth of my paintings is influenced by the discoveries I make before embarking, the insights and perceptions forged in me by the emerging work and the materials I use. In my Doctor of Fine Arts thesis Teoksen äärellä harjaantunut katse (An Eye Trained on the Verge of Work) I examine these factors in an artistic research context in light of my own paintings and the work and archive sources of visual artist Ellen Thesleff (1869–1954).

What kind of vantage point does art critic Giovanni Morelli and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud have at the intersection of their analysis styles? Can the mind of an artist be grasped with excerpts of creative writing? And what about the kinds of marionettes Thesleff sketched in June of 1907 and the colours she used in her radiant early woodblock prints? In four articles, I approach various visual-materialist sources using research questions posed by the artist and research literature in the field of art history. In my analyses, I combine the know-how I acquired from two degree programmes.

Two of the articles have been peer-reviewed and published in the field of art history research. The first of these, ”Freud, Morelli ja kerronnan kudelma – Tutkivan taiteilijan näkökulma syntyvän teoksen havainnointiin” (Freud, Morelli and the Weave of Narrative – The Perspective of an Investigative Artist in Observing a Work in Progress), serves as the introductory chapter. The second article, ”Maalauksen läpi: Maisema Toscanasta” (Through Painting: Landscape in Tuscany) explores a practical work report written by the painter on the empirical observations made during one painting process and the resulting insights and mental images. The observations in the report led to the theoretical development of the first article.

In the second peer-reviewed article, ”Kuvallis-materiaalisten lähteiden todistusvoima Ellen Thesleffin marionettien jäljityksessä” (The Evidentiary Power of Visual-Materialist Sources in Finding Ellen Thesleff’s Marionettes) I explore the subject of the artist’s perception. I elevate the visual-materialist sources to the role of primary research sources and decipher the clues they contain, drawing on the painter's know-how. With the help of sketches, prints and old photos, I track down the marionettes that served as models for the Marionetteja (Marionettes) woodcut (1907–1908).

The final article, ”Väriä päin – Ellen Thesleffin varhaiset kohopainolaatat ja värivedokset” (Toward Colour - Ellen Thesleff’s Early Woodblocks and Colour Prints) appeared in a Uniarts Helsinki's Academy of Fine Arts publication. The article is the first basic study charting Ellen Thesleff’s early woodblock prints. I compile, organise and date Thesleff’s woodcuts and wood engravings, which appeared in printed publications in 1908–1910. I also use research collaboration to determine the materials used in selected colour prints.

Research questions that interest artists can be studied not only in their own works but also in the materials of other artists. In my thesis, I defend the knowledge of my own field with regard to both artistic research and art history. Indeed, artists should defend the knowledge of their own field even outside the sphere of artistic research, as many key questions might otherwise remain unexplored.