It is a combination of two Finnish words: ‘karu’ and ‘soma’. ‘Karu’ most often means rough in the context of nature. (Think of the terrain in Siberia, where hardly anything grows, and you will get the idea.) ‘Soma’, on the other hand, means pretty or cute. When you put these two words with opposite meaning next to each other, you not only create a totally new word, but also the founder’s last name (Ruso) will appear, tying the two words together.

Please note that Karusoma is a registered trademark.

If you do not like what you see here, then you really should not. But if you like Ville’s Karusoma artworks, then why not go for it. You would get yourself a beautiful art piece from an up-and-coming artist who works hard to make art more accessible, affordable and fun. That is something worth supporting, is it not?

Nobody can say that for sure. But if the painting brings you years—or even decades—of joy, it is hard to argue that it is not.

Karusoma artworks are by nature more rough than polished, especially the ones created on upcycled materials such as old billboards. There might be some dents or small holes and the line between the painting and the frame may not be even all around. If you are cautious about such imperfections, then you will probably be better off by choosing a painting created on canvas.

Most artworks have been created using acrylics, but mixed media, house paints, spray, crayons, markers, collage, ink and oils are also sometimes used. Artworks created on board are framed with hand-painted wood frames that go well with the modern look of the artworks. Artworks created on canvas are not framed, because that is the look that Ville prefers. The sides of these artworks are painted to suit the style of the painting. Of course, you can always have your canvas Karusoma artwork framed later after you have received it, if you so desire.

Generally, Ville aims to create art pieces that he likes and to get there he uses whatever tools and materials he can get his hands on. All Karusoma artworks are one-of-a-kind original creations. No prints are offered.

No. Not now, not ever. Ville prefers original art, so that is what you will get when you buy a Karusoma—something that nobody else has.

Yes. Karusoma will ship anywhere in the world.

Yes. The studio is located close to the center of Helsinki at Urheilukatu 54. Pick-ups can be arranged on most days, even late at night if necessary. Contact Ville to arrange a pick-up. If you are in a hurry, call rather than DM.

The cost of shipping depends on two things: the destination and the size of the artwork. Inside Finland the shipping costs are usually between 50-150 euros, outside Finland there is more variety. To give you an example of out-of-country shipping, a mid-sized artwork (up to 100×100 cm) can be shipped to any European country for 200 euros.

For international orders, one or two weeks usually, depending on the destination and size of the painting. In Finland, it normally takes 3-5 business days for your order to arrive.

If your package arrives damaged, take a picture of it before opening it. Then also take a picture of the damaged artwork. Send all the pictures to ville@karusoma.com. Ville will then respond promptly and the issue will be resolved.

Yes. See COMMISSIONS for more information

There is no extra charge for commissions. The price of a commission depends on materials and the amount of work it requires, just like regular Karusoma artworks.

Not in the tradional sense. The Karusoma artworks are meant to convey a message of beauty, joy and happiness in a way that only art can. Craftsmanship, talent and originality over mass produced prints and high prices is also something that Karusoma likes to root for. And most definitely Ville does not subscribe to the idea of making up BS stories to go with abstract paintings to make them sell better or to warrant higher prices.

See above. Ville finds putting nonsensical names such as ‘The morning was rejected’ on abstract paintings not only silly, but also dishonest, as it most often is done only to trick collectors to pay more the artwork or to make the artist seem wise and clever.

As Ville does not want to name his paintings, there has to be another way to distinguish them. This is where the codes come in. The paintings are coded as they are finished, with just one code series (the letter part) being in use at the same time. There are a varying number of paintings to each code series. Each code has a special meaning to Ville. It is always something personal or otherwise important. ZAO-code, for example, refers to one of Ville’s favorite artists Zao Wou-Ki.