3 MIN PEOPLE

"There are many people on this page. We are all here. Incomplete, clumsy, beautiful, quite racy and also amusing. We reach out for something that is so close, almost visible: our dreams, peace, happiness. We are looking for the right pose in this world and will not seize trying."

3 Min People is a series of Heini Lehvaslaiho's drawings in a group of artists called The Heavenly Academy. We have weekly live model drawing sessions.

The group was founded by the renowned sculptor Kain Tapper and forwarded to the famous Finnish graphic artist Outi Heiskanen in his passing. In 2022 also Outi Heiskanen sadly passed away, but she is lovingly remembered and the academy lives on by us.

Through the years a croquis pose has settled into three minutes. There is just enough time to draw but no time for thinking.

I had the honor to join the group in 2005. We became friendly with Outi when I took her portrait for my final work in art school. I told her I wanted to learn drawing and she invited me in. Although I had studied art before, the Heavenly Academy is my school for drawing. Nobody takes a look at the drawings, no one comments or teaches. We only draw two hours a week, drink tea on pauses.

My drawings reached a certain level of clarity in 2012 and by today they have become characters living their own lives.

The characters are looking for their place in the world where the attention span can be as little as three minutes long.