I’ve lived in Lemmenjoki over 42years. It’s a little Sami village. My husband is a Sami and we are reindeerherders. (The Samis are the only indigenous people in Europe.) Because the colourful Sami culture has affected me greatly, I use a lot of figures from the old Sami shaman drums. Nature means also a lot to people in Lapland and in Finland and you can see and feel it in my works easyly.
I make my felts always from the Finnish sheepwoll. In vests, bags and hats I use also reindeerleather. It is very important for me to use nature’s own materials. I make and design all my products by myself. I have made felts about 22 years. I have an all-year exhibition in my atelier, in Lemmenjoki..
1973-1977 Art and Craft Institute in Kuopio
1977 gratuated from Art and Craft Institute
1977-1980 as a teacher in Inari commune
had three children, -81, -83 and -88
1994 started up an enterprise, Kaija Paltto and also a handycraft boutique “Inarista Käsin” together with four other entrepreneur
1995 many exhibitions in Inari commune with Inarista Käsin-group
1995, an exhibition in Rovaniemi, in Luhti (2.10-30.11)
25.-27.8 1995 As a teacher in “TOVTRÄFF” feltcourse in Lakselv, in Norway
1.5-15.6 1996 As an invited exhibitor in Helsinki, Sami culture centre
14-21.9. 1996 A trip to Turkey, to Tire. Getting to know to the local feltculture.
1996-1998 As a feltmaker in Paulig’s Juhla Mokka-coffee commercial-serie. Paulig-company chooses to its commercials different kind of form of arts and the best makers of each form.
1.-3.8.1997 I arranged “TOVTRÄFF” feltcourse in Inari for Finnish, Norwegian ja Swedish students.
24-31.10 1997 A felttrip to Turkey, to Antalia and to Konya. Finnish and Hungaryan feltmakers getting to know to Turkish feltculture.
27.2-29.3.1998 I was with in an exhibition “villan lämpöä – huovan hehkua”, in Tampere
1.4.-25.4.4 1998 An exhibition in Jyväskylä, in Aivia
28.6.-9.8. 1998 As an invited exhibitor in Porvoo
1.7.-30.7.1999 As an invited exhibitor in Jämsä (Part of an international Felt Symposium)
17-22.7.1999 An international Felt Symposium in Petäjävesi, in wich I had an own workshop.
14.6-31.8.2000 As an invited exhibitor in shared exhibition “Käsityökesä” in Suomenlinna, in Helsinki.
18.8-15.10.2000 As an invited exhibitor in Inari Siida Sami museum, “auringon voimaa-tunturin taikaa”
9.9.-11.11.2000 As an invited exhibitor in shared exhibition in Mikkeli, “Voihan villa”, in Kenkävero
1999-2000 I built with my husband an own atelier and working studio (100m2) in Lemmenjoki where I have an all-year exhibition. I kept many short courses of feltmaking and history of felt for tourist groups.
15.10-05.11. 2002 As an invited exhibitions in Tokyo in Japan
Gallery Zephire in Omia
Gallery Ten in Nerimaku
Gallery Mayu in Ginza
10 – 29.08.2004 As an invited exhibitor in shared exhibition in Budabest in Hungarian National Gallery “Thee.made of the hair of sheep…”
2005-2006 As an invited exhibitions in FORMSCAPE – travelling exhibition of craft and desing in the Barents region www.formscape.fi
18.6-4.9.2005 The Oulu City Art Museum.Oulu Finland
30.9-30.10.2005 The City Exhibition Hall, Petrozavodsk.Russia
25.3-23.4.2006 Konstens hus .Luleå.Sweden
10.6-30.7.2006 Bodö Kuntförening, Bodö.Norway
21.02-26.03 2006 As an invited exhibitior in shared exhibition in Namibia NationalGallery ” Potentials desing in the field ”
2006-2007 As an invited exhibitor in sharet exhibition in Cultural museum in Helsinki 07.11.2006-04.03.2007 ”Muotoilua puskassa”
Female entrepreneur of year 2006 in Inari prize
2007 As an invited exhibition ”Secrets of the North” in United Arab Emirates ,in the Cultural Foundation -Abu Dhabi Authority for Cultural & Heritage 15.05-24.05.2007
2007 As an invited exhibitor in sharet exhibition ”Tracing the Reindeer” in The Craft Museum of Finland in Jyväskylä 07.06-16.09.2007 in Arktikum, Rovaniemi 19.10.2007-06.01.2008
2007 october, female entepreneur of the year in Finland, honourable mention
2009 05.-08.10. invited for a private exhibition in Estonia, Hiiumaa Kärdla, in Tuuri-house.
2010 11.-13.12. Invite exhibition in Russia, at Petsamo cultural palace during the Trifon trade fair.
2011 06.02-05.03. invite exhibition in Espoo, arthouse Pikku -Auroora.
2011 19.-21.8. Invite exhibition in Russia Komi republic at Syktyvkar, V international festival of folk and decorative – applied art ” Zarni kiyas”.
2017 04.-06.11 As an invited exhibitorin shared exhibition in Russia ,St.Petersburginternational felt event ”New life pf Traditions”
2018 02.07.-05.08 AS an invited exhibitorin shared exhibition ”Let”s wear felt” in Jämsä
2018 15.12.- 05.05.2019 As an invited exhibitorin shared exhibition ”Felt to Tomorrow” in Jyväskylä in the Graft museum of Finland ,the 20th anniversary exibition of Finnish Felt association
2019 03.06-31.07. As an invited exhibitorin shared exhibition ”Felt to Tomorrow” in Helsinki in Graft Corner Eteläesplanadi 4
2020 05.01.-20.01.2020 As an invited exhibitiorin sharet exhibition”Spirit of Homeland” in Thailand together with logal Artist MR. Boonkasem Kowsanti, BOOKHEMIAN 61Thaland Rd. ,Taladyai, Mueng, Phuket83000 Thailand.