Josefin Tolstoy’s abstract practice is deeply intuitive, letting her creative instincts guide the direction of her work. Inspired by her daily surroundings, she transforms interiors, architecture, and design into a vibrant, colourful expression. For her signature abstract pieces, she mixes her own paint using mortar as a thickener, giving the dried medium a solid, structural materiality. She enjoys the physical dimension this adds to her process, beautifully contrasting the heavy, tactile texture with a warm, gentle color palette to achieve a balance that feels both highly expressive and vulnerably soft.

Based in Uppsala, Sweden, Josefin grew up in a creative household surrounded by color and craft. She later channeled this artistic upbringing into formal studies in graphic design and art direction, which continue to inform her keen eye for composition, clean lines, and visual layout.

“I’m inspired by clean shapes and soothing colours — especially the point where those two meet. I want my work to be an emotional cushion in an otherwise hard and at times cold world.”

Discover 'The Collected Life', An Online Exhibition by Josefin Tolstoy.