Thuja Painting

Galina Khabarova (b. 1986) is a contemporary abstract artist who lives and works in Stavropol, Russia. Her paintings are abstract in nature and are created anew each time in the process of intuitively following the imagination, in most cases without any preliminary sketches. They are multi-layered surfaces with a rich texture that exposes the underlying layers of paint, with rhythm, direction and a complex color pattern. Galina describes her work as a mental return to a moment of the past, real or imaginary, when she experienced certain emotions. When the artist relives it within herself, she transfers these emotions to the surface of the canvas. The process is akin to meditation, when emotional images splash out on the painting, as if without conscious participation. A paint stroke is a reflection of a certain feeling. As emotions quickly replace each other, so do paint strokes overlap each other in the process of Galina's work. Starting with some colors and shades, she can finish the work with completely different ones, covering and overlapping each layer many times. But, like the emotions experienced, each stroke leaves its mark on the surface of artwork, forming a unique texture every time. Born in Dushanbe (Tajikistan, then a part of the USSR) Galina was surrounded by art at an early age: her father took interest in metal stamping, wood carving, sculpture and photography, constantly inviting home his friends — local artisans and artists — to work together and discuss art. In the early 90’s, Galina moved with her parents to Russia, where her family settled in Stavropol. She was lucky to have a school and teachers who teached pupils many new art techniques and methods. After graduating from the Institute in 2004 with a degree in Advertising, Galina became a professional photographer, graphic designer and commercial illustrator. Galina’s interest in the expressive calligraphy with a cola pen helped her to develop confident firm strokes and the method of working with paint by rubbing it, determining the artist's future painting style. In 2017 Galina started painting. Her favorite technique is “rubbing” paint into a dense multi-layer film, that creates a complex colorful pattern giving the finished painting a multi-dimensional depth and saturation, making the paint “glow” and the viewer’s eye unconsciously feel movement. A favorite working tool is an ordinary plastic card.