Welcome to my website. I’m glad you’ve landed here and hope you’ll take a moment to explore my story and view some of my artwork.

My name is Harry Matti Hukkinen. Born in Finland, I immigrated to the United States at a young age and spent much of my life in the mid Atlantic coastal regions of the US. Living in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania exposed me to beautiful natural environments, countless museums, and an incredible spectrum of architecture. This is where my sense of wonder and awe began.

My appreciation for fine art deepened in my late teens, and by my twenties, I found myself drawn more to the artists and their processes than to creating work for myself. The artists I met seemed to be deeper thinkers, who were more contemplative than others I had encountered up to this point. These early years saw my creative expressions channeled through a livelihood in the construction trades. It was here that I developed a vast knowledge of tools and their use, always striving to refine design, and fabrication techniques.

In my mid-thirties, I made my first conscious effort to create a body of fine artwork. I used a multi-step process to create large-format, two-dimensional images on watercolor paper with pigmented ink. I was able to successfully convey the Japanese aesthetic essence of “mono-no-aware” in my presentations. Within 12 months, my work was accepted into 15 national juried shows, earning several awards. For the first time, I felt comfortable referring to myself as an artist.

But rather than rest on this early success, I became increasingly interested in learning more about art, developing new skills, and experimenting with unfamiliar media. This curiosity led me to pursue a formal education in fine art. I earned a BA in Liberal Arts  from Monmouth University, Long Branch, NJ., majoring in Fine Art, graduating summa cum laude. Next, I was accepted into a master’s of fine art program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where I received my MFA. These experiences reshaped my worldview and deepened my connection to the craft of making. It also led to a career shift, where I felt compelled to give back and share the beauty that higher education had revealed to me.

Over the next 11 years, I taught science and art in both Hawaii and Idaho, driven by a desire to experience nature in new settings and to work as an educator  in underserved communities.

My artistic journey is grounded in simplicity, using the raw, often harsh, honesty of nature for guidance. I find peace in minimalistic form while trying to understand and accept the passage of time. Clay, wood, stone, natural pigment, and metal, contrast my flesh and bone existence, yet interdependently connect me to my earthly existence. Knowing this, I allow their natural qualities to guide my creative process. I am able to viscerally connect, through contemplation, the illusion of permanence and the inevitable reality of change. Direct observation of birth, life, struggle to survive, death, and decay,  mirror my deepest questions and inform my work.

I invite you to explore my website, where you’ll find a conversation about the passage of time and the elemental nature of existence. My art is an expression of the delicate balance between what endures and what fades—a visual narrative of impermanence.

In closing, I offer my art as an invitation to reflect on the inevitability of change and the quiet beauty that comes with embracing it.