Become white...

Where did my love for flowers come from?

Now I know exactly the answer - from my childhood! In the summer I was sent to my grandmother's country house, and I was left to myself for a long time. At first, the loneliness was unbearable. All day long I wandered around the yard from corner to corner. The yard was tiny and most of it was occupied by a flowerbed. My grandmother's flowers grew wildly and were taller than I was. I remember parting the bushes and looking inside.

A whole World opened up for me there. World of flowers. I started making dolls out of them that looked like fairy princesses. By the end of the day, I had a whole collection of princesses and the flower ball was starting. And the next day everything dried up. But new flowers bloomed and new Queens appeared. And again and again I plunged into the fairy tale.

And now, as an artist, I often use flowers as metaphors.

"Become white" is the picture based on the Andersen's fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling".

The painting was created using materials that have the most tactile sensations –pastels and velvets. The black velvet background absorbs light and creates an extra deepness of space. And the texture of velvet, combined with pastels, approaches the texture of living colors, creating an effect of hyperreality. And making them almost tangible.