Dissonance II Print

My art says infinitely more than these words can communicate. I am a multi-discipline, mixed-media artist and interior designer. No matter the medium, my art has always been a manifestation of my personal spiritual and physical journey though ideas, continents, and epochs. A Londoner, I was born in Moscow, Russia in a family of architects, and had a pen, a chalk or a brush in my hand as long as I remember myself. To sketch is as natural as breathing to me. I qualified with a Masters’ Degree from the Moscow Architectural Institute (Academy), although kept my loyalty to drawings. These architectural school is famous for a wide range of subjects including different courses of sketching and drawing. My knowledge of anatomy, architecture and classical composition is coming from the years in the university although the choice of mediums is less traditional. If we talk about inspiration, I find beauty in obscure objects, places and events, like weathered buildings, rusted metal, graffitied walls or even garbage on a city sidewalks, and so much more. My artistic influences count different artists and movements among them: we can start from Pieter Bruegel the Elder through Ukiyo-e to Aubrey Beardsley. But being inspired for me is more than admire a style or skill, it goes beyond an artwork itself in the search for a reason and purpose. Combination of things that rarely, if ever, could be seen together in the real life might give an additional even magical dimension to artworks. When it comes to choosing a preferable method, I often mix mediums together, layer them on top of each other or use them in an unconventional way. Unexpected combinations and layering help me to create artworks which live their own life and merge with the constant aging process that occurs in nature. These techniques build history, not just beauty on its own, into a picture and give the image a certain life. Among my favourite mediums I can mention old dry French gouache, Chinese ink, water colours and oil chalks along with Sanguine and Black tea, one of the preferred materials is the Aquarelle paper from Moulin et Papier d’Arches. Until now I deliberately did not work with galleries and kept a very low public profile when it comes to artworks. You can find some of my drawings in private collections in the UK and Russia, purchased directly from my studio where customers came directed by word of mouth. I am open for assignments if we share common views and interests in art.