Anja Jaatinen-Winquist

Anja Jaatinen-Winquist (1934-)

Born in Sortavala, a town in Karelia, Russia, bordering Finland. After graduating in 1955 from the Faculty of Design and Architecture at Aalto University in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, he joined ARABIA. After working as an assistant to Finnish pioneering female ceramic artist Aune Siimes, who belonged to the company, she was in charge of the design department of ARABIA products until 1974. Winqvist's most famous design is the Karelia series decorated with iron oxide, in which he devises a design that is cleverly decorated using matte brown tones.

Karelia straddles the border between Finland and Russia and has been the scene of many territorial disputes throughout history. Winqvist uses an unusual method of using iron oxide to create a brownish color to create a matte texture that evokes the soil of his hometown. It is said that she was in charge of color matching by kneading the soil herself at the manufacturing site, and her attitude toward not only design but also production is clearly conveyed.