Portrait of True Love Painting

Andrey Vladimirovich Potapov Russian artist. I am often asked the question: how long have I started painting? Where have I studied? My love for painting came to life in me as soon as I was born. During all my early childhood one of my favorite pastimes was the contemplation of the reproductions of old masters in Dutch and Russian painting. For hours I used to be looking at those reproductions, attempting to capture every stroke. During primary school years painting lessons seemed to me boring, monotonous, without any brightness. The passion to paint a picture awoke in me when we were given a homework to draw a landscape during one of our painting lessons. I was then in fourth grade. Suddenly something inside me was triggered and I started to copy a landscape picture of the Dutch painter Jacob van Ruisdael. In a week I brought the work I had done and showed it to my teacher, but he didn't believe his eyes at first, because usually I painted worse than many of my classmates. I was just not interested in drawing cubes and balls. Fortunately, that very moment two of my classmates confirmed that they had seen me painting that landscape. I scored A-double-plus. I was so inspired. When my mother noticed my success in painting, she presented me with a big painting-box, oil paints and linseed oil. I started making experiments constantly. My passionate dedication to painting faded away when I was compelled to choose my future profession and decide which college I should go to. In the early nineties it was popular in Russia to become a lawyer or an economist. Having said goodbye to my cherished childhood dream, I joined an economic institute in 1992, and later went to a law college. But all those years I was longing for painting. I got no genuine happiness in my job. Only 18 years later I decided to take a chance and really believe in my dream. With God's help, having overcome a lot of difficulties - divorce, diseases, addiction- I started painting pictures related to really important matters concerning my soul. Now I am a church minister and have much more inspiration in painting than ever, which is for me much more than just a hobby.