Ritva Tulonen has worked as free artist since 1968.  She has held many solo exhibitions and participated in several joint exhibitions both in Finland and abroad. She was given the Finnish State Award of Arts in 1987 and was granted artist pension in 2005. She is a member of the Association of Finnish Sculptors and of the Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo. Ritva Tulonen´s material is clay fired in high temperatures. She works in her studio in Tuusula, Southern Finland. The most significant elements for her are earth and fire.  The art  works are made of earth - clay - and finished with fire; clay is transformed into ceramics.  Softer materials  are often attached to sculptures, e.g. wood, rope, leather, or root. Everything is influenced by time. Ritva Tulonen searches the past, ancient cultures,  for primal images.  Her work often shows the impact of times gone by -  wear and tear, ageing.