RAIJA UOSIKKINEN (born in 1923 in Hollola, died 2004 in Helsinki) studied porcelain painting at the Central School of Arts and Crafts from 1944 to 1947. She worked as a decorative painter and decoration designer at Arabia from 1947 to 1986.

Raija Uosikkinen and Esteri Tomula played a prominent role as decoration designers when Arabia renewed its product line in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Uosikkinen designed decoration motifs for many tableware items created by Kaj Franck for mass production. The motifs for the B-model tableware, such as Polaris and Linnea, were popular, as were the light and playful Emilia.

Ali, the Arabia factory's last copperplate-printed decorative motif, was also designed by Uosikkinen. Arabia began to make a wide range of collectibles in the 1970s, and Raija Uosikkinen designed two of the factory's principal series of collectible plate: the Kalevala annual plates beginning in 1976 and the Christmas plate series from 1978. During her career, Uosikkinen took part in many Finnish and foreigh exhibitions. In addition to her work, she taught at the Toimela Adult Education Institute and the University of Art and Design Helsinki.

Source: ARABIA Ceramics│Art│Industry by Marianne Aav, Elise Kovanen, Marjut Kumela, Helena Leppänen, Susanna Vakkari, Susann Vihma, Tapio Yli-Viikari - published by Designmuseo, 2009.