The Irish Drive Print

I’m a British-Bulgarian artist living in London. I was just 7-years old when my parents started renovating our home. When they removed the old wallpaper there was a drawing of my father on the wall. It showed a man on a motorcycle and was very colourful. I found out that my father drew this when they were dating. (He is exceptionally good at drawing, but never took the time to publicise his work). I was shocked at just how big the drawing was – something like 3 x 2m! This wonderful picture made a deep impression on my memory and going forward, I have always tried to recreate it in my own work. At school, I always drew in my notebooks – predominantly motorbikes, cars, and trucks as I just love vehicles. As a child, I took part in a lot of art competitions and won first place many times. When I was older, I attended a professional school of transport and traffic management. There I learnt how to drive and fix cars and trucks. With this technical knowledge at my fingertips, I continued drawing in my notebook and on my computer. After school, I found myself serving nine months of mandatory service in the army. I became a mechanic-driver again, but this time working with 10-ton tanks! Sometimes when we were training I used to stay inside the tank for hours, drawing in my little army notebook, and making sketches of tanks and military vehicles. I completed my service with the best score possible. These days I miss the feeling of driving those powerful machines. Once I had left the military, I went on to work as a key account manager for one of the country’s biggest telecommunication companies. I did this for a few years. My work involved driving all day and meeting customers in their offices. I was doing fine, but something was missing – I yearned for that sense of complete contentment. I found myself feeling that my small hometown was not for me, as I had always wanted to live and study in the UK. So about ten years ago, I decided it was time for a change. I quit my job, jumped in my car and drive 2700 km to London. I settled in quickly and began looking for a job whilst attending business school. I’m sure you will easily guess what the job was – a taxi driver/chauffeur. This position allowed me to meet many people. They all had different backgrounds and stories and in between driving, I had time to draw as I always had a notepad and pencil in the car.