Esko Sihtola was born in Finland in 1937. He lived and worked in Hanko, a small coastal resort and harbour town in Southern Finland.
Best known as an oil painter, his favourite views were taken from the Nordic archipelago and show traditional landscapes bathed in a shimmering light. Fisherman’s villages, old boat houses and ships form the main part of his compositions, and the sea is ever present.
We held Esko’s first UK exhibition in 1989 and he was a featured artist with us in 1991. His work has been in demand in America and Scandinavia and he produced 17 paintings for the Sheraton hotel in Helsinki.