Hanna Wainio Brings “Nice and Cosy” to People’s Lives

Story by Pat Forrest, Images by Hanna Wainio

Thunder Bay visual artist and illustrator Hanna Wainio says she wants to make everything around her “as cute as possible.”

It’s working. 

“I always want to give people a feeling of comfort and cosiness,” she says. “I create the chance for everyday magic in my work, putting nice things, cosy things, out there. I work from a place of love, things I loved as a child. I want to put more of that in the world.” Wainio, who went to school in Toronto—first for visual arts at York University and then for freelance illustration at what’s now called Seneca Polytechnic—moved back to Thunder Bay in 2019 and says that coming home and slowing down made her realize what she had been missing.

Koo at her desk; inspired by Lofi Girl

Reactions to her unique designs, whether on display at a craft show or online, are typically very heartwarming. “The response I typically get from people is that my work takes them back to their childhood. They also say that they see themselves in my characters,” she says. Wainio was lucky to grow up in the most creative of environments. Her mother, Judi Vinni, is also an artist and community animator who operates Willow Springs Creative Centre on Mapleward Road. Since the centre’s opening in 2000, Wainio spent most of her summers at art camps under the guidance of her mother and her colleagues. Later, she helped in running the camps. 

Hanna Wainio

Wainio says that she has always embraced her creativity. “There was never any one moment that I realized I was creative. I grew up that way and was always encouraged to make things, which I loved,” she says. Recently, while doing an artist’s residency in Japan, Wainio wrote and illustrated a manuscript for a children’s book, featuring her bird character, Koo the raven, and Koo’s pen pal, the rabbit who lives on the moon. Coming out of the pandemic, it was the ideal environment to let the creative juices flow. “I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. Being there in the beautiful countryside, with views of the mountains and the ocean, in the company of creative people, was a dream come true,” she says.

Moonberry stamps; stamp designs for Wainio’s picture book

As for what the future holds, Wainio would love to continue to produce children’s books, but she will also keep selling her whimsical prints on her website. You’ll also find a paper doll kit to purchase as well as a calendar and a sketch book of her time in Japan.

For more information, visit hannawainio.com or follow @hwainio on Instagram.