Connections Painting

My name is Tsvetomir Iliev. I am a self-taught artist who explores the beauty in the combination of small pieces of fallen tree bark and acrylic paint. My work captures the magic in the hidden complexity of nature. Take any small detail near a mountain pond and you will find a micro cosmos full of life, mystery and adventure - much like in the fairy-tales. My inspiration mainly comes from hiking in the hills where I also collect the fallen tree bark. The journey my paintings offer is one of rediscovery and celebration of life. I glue and press the bark pieces together to create the base for the three dimensional composition. This produces a surface that is rich in detail and a very gentle relief. Then I paint, carefully observing the curves, forms and shapes that appear on the bark like ghosts. The result is a combination of my own imagination, the imagination of the observer and nature’s own creativity, all captured in tree bark and colors.