I’m Paula, I’m originally half Finnish and half Swedish. I grew up in Helsinki Finland, but for the past 15 years I’ve been travelling, living in different places and exploring the world. I’m still doing so. Those places and experiences have become an important part of how I see and create. Today, the ocean sits at the centre of my creative practice.

I’m interested in the visual language of the sea, its textures, colours, movement and the strange beauty that exists beneath the surface. From the beautiful patterns of marine life and the smallest creatures to the human form moving through water, I’m drawn to moments that feel both unfamiliar and deeply natural.

Photography is where I observe and document these encounters. My work moves between marine life, underwater and coastal portraits, and creative imagery with people. I’m particularly drawn to light, movement, shape and atmosphere, creating images that feel more like an experience than a simple documentation of a moment.

My background in underwater photography, particularly macro photography, has shaped the way I see. Spending hours beneath the surface taught me to slow down and look closely, to notice details, textures and fleeting moments that might otherwise go unseen. That way of seeing continues to influence everything I create.

Painting allows me to approach the ocean differently. Rather than documenting what I see, I can translate an experience into colour, texture and movement. My paintings are intuitive and abstract, often growing from memories of places, light and time spent in the water. For me, these are not separate practices. Photography and painting are simply different ways of exploring the same fascination.

Saltwatertheory is an ongoing exploration of that world through photographs, paintings, people, marine life and the places that inspire them.