Cutting the Space Print

My life started in 1970 in Voroshilovgrad, modern Luhansk, which is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, country where I am living today. My childhood and youth were during the period of cruel dictatorship, the time when it was dangerous to do art even for children. Even the childish picture was under a total censorship. Everything could be gray and monotone, as many kids in USSR had at that time. But life occasions and the consequences made their adjustments. After the tragic and unexpected death of my father, my childish psyche tried to find asylum in colorful pictures. Me, my mother and sister went through hardships and obviously there was no chance and means for me to get education in art that I desired so much. For this reason, I decided to learn the art of painting by myself. As a little girl I grabbed each and every opportunity to peek the real artists while they created their incredible depictions. I discovered a totally new and mysterious world which was easily created with soft brush strokes of various paints. I was hypnotized, so I began to draw everything I saw around me. Time passed by as my life was going on. I got a degree and met the love of my life, gave birth to my child and all this brought me closer to my dream fulfillment. My caring husband supported and helped me to pursue my dreams in art. But as it always happens in movies the fate made its adjustments – USSR collapsed and brought a major crises and depression that touched every family on the post-soviet territory. As if it wasn’t enough, after a long disease, I lost my one and only husband. It could have been the last chapter of my life but evidently it wasn’t my destiny. As many parents of post Soviet mentality, I thoroughly tried to fulfill my dream of becoming an artist through my little son. Even though I chose the best art school, made all the necessary arrangements, it was still me the only person wanting to draw. One day, my tiny boy asked me a simple and direct question that even today is etched in my memory: “Mommy, why I am the one to draw if the only person who really desires to do it is you?”. That question gave me food for thought and finally pushed me to come back to drawing and to follow my potential. Impressionism has always been one-of-a-kind style for me. I often find myself engrossed by the masterpieces of Claude Monet, Jeremy Mann, Kal Gajoum, Rembrandt, their techniques and talent.