Below the belt Print

Art for me is not a job, but a lifestyle. This is the beauty or ugliness you see around you and never leaves you. Creativity makes you happy, sad, uplifted, or broken. It is a parallel reality that gives wings, a place where you can heal or die. Since childhood, I knew I would be an artist and confidently pursued my dream. Even my own father could not stop my desire to study at an art college when I was 16 years old. His prohibitions and arguments that an artist is not a profession did not work. The war was won. I didn't like school because no one understood me there, everyone said I was weird. But the college gave me wings and knowledge of the charms of decorative and applied art. There I finally found real friends, like me, strange and charming artists who looked in the same direction as me and understood the importance of that small spot in the left corner that no one saw except us. So this spot is crucial like any small soul in this big universe. Then the Boychuk Institute and the National Academy of Arts and Architecture, where I received a master's degree. There I felt the true power of art and finally formed as a person and as an artist. Deep knowledge of various techniques and art history gave me a sense of freedom of self-expression and a love for creative experimentation. And this is not the main thing for an artist. The main thing is the ability to think. My late teacher, brilliant artist and philosopher Mykola Sotorozhenko taught me this. Raise your head immersed in everyday worries and look at the sky, he said. I learned the metaphysics of the plane and the philosophy of color. After six years of studying for the master's degree, I was selected for the art workshop at the academy as an assistant trainee. Here I got to know the work in the gallery. Organizing exhibitions and public events is another experience that helped me grow as a person. New works, exhibitions, concourses, Plein airs, publications, and interviews. I become a member of the National Union of Artists. Work on murals in several churches. And in the end, something happened that I am really proud of, one of my works was purchased by the National Historical and Cultural Reserve "Hetman's Capital". The birth of my son added new colors to my life. His autistic spectrum made me look at the world differently. Tears and despair have changed into a desire to help and give knowledge and experience.