VERDANDI Painting

I was born and raised in a small town near St. Petersburg, in Russia, where I studied at art school. In 2003, I moved to St. Petersburg and entered the Nikolai Roerich Art School. After my education, I worked as a portrait painter. Then I worked as a clothing designer and personal stylist. I traveled a lot, tried to live in different countries. Two years in west-central Africa had a great influence on my work. I have a separate collection dedicated to Africa that I continue to work on. I've been living in Thailand for the last three years. The warmth and softness of this country awakened my creativity from a protracted coma. Two years ago, I touched the drawing process from a previously unknown side. I'm not planning or preparing for work. I just sit down and start painting. And suddenly a living creature looks at me from a sheet of paper. This is a combination of miracles and magical fantasy. This is what best describes my vision of my art. I realized that any duties, such as the original plan, requirements, or wishes of the customer, my expectations of a specific result - kill creativity in me. Creativity requires total freedom - any plans destroy it. Sometimes the process is so spontaneous that I don't quite believe in my involvement in the result. Faces arise themselves. Under my hands, they seep out of paper or canvas and come to life. In my work process, there are two most fantastic moments. First, I draw a black pupil. It is at this moment that the creature comes to life, it includes a spark of life. And the second - I draw highlights in front of my eyes. Glare is the first independent breath of a new life - its breathing. In science fiction films about robots and artificial intelligence, there is a moment when a developer designs the body of a machine. Then he presses the button - the robot opens its eyes and begins to move on its own. This is a moment of miracle, and it is difficult not to believe that there is no soul in this life. I feel something similar. In the same way, first I create a form, and then I inhale life into it. Every time it shocks me. As for drawing techniques, I have always been unorthodox. I was bored in the gray and rigid framework of academism (although I recognize it and consider it a valuable educational element). Experiments are fresh air. This is development, change, dynamics. It's life! Therefore, in my works I mix everything mixed) Everything that can draw is going into action.