Hand painted decor from nordfolk

Today, we would like to introduce one of our team members, Olga, who runs nordfolk shop on Etsy. Her shop is filled with lovely hand painted matryoshkas (nesting dolls), Christmas ornaments, Easter eggs and other wooden home decor items.

Here is what she says on her artwork:

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

 My name is Olga and I live in Arkhangelsk - one of the oldest town in the North of Russia. I do not have any special education or degree in Fine Art, but  I have been keen on art throughout my life, utilizing every spare moment. I cannot imagine my life without  brushes and paints.

I have been doing Fine Art drawing since 2000. I have done special Russian north folk art such as Mezensk, Puchuzhsk and Permogorsk style  paintings, but finally I have focused on the Boretsk style Painting.  Initially, I made  traditional folk items and ornaments, but over time I began to invent my own  stories and themes and to add new, atypical traditional painting elements such as "paisley" pattern.

2.  What items do you offer for sale in your shop?

 In my shop I have interior/indoor decor: wooden dolls, eggs, apples, boxes etc. My daughter and I are developing hand-painted wall panels now, which will appear in my shop in spring.

 
3.  Your items are distinguished by clean, bright and luminous palette. The colours of your work are reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance frescoes. What is your secret?

I use Tempera paints. It has the necessary qualities. Sometimes I use metallic acrylic. I do not rely on ready-made palettes and I am always looking for new, more sophisticated color combinations.  Quite often I use a certain color scheme at the request of the customer.

As I have said already,  I am doing Borets Painting - it requires special artisan skills, neatness, patience, and has a rather complex technical execution.

4. How much time do you spend to produce one item?

 Creating one item  takes about 4 days to a month, depending on its complexity and theme.  I always try to create artworks that are not only beautiful, but tell some story - stories of my life, a story of the traditional trades and crafts and North Russian routine of ordinary people’s life and leisure activities.  But sometimes I draw people in a more modern lifestyle.

5. Do you take the custom orders?

 Before I opened my shop on Etsy, I worked mainly with individual orders, they are still my main source of sales. Custom orders very often give me a new challenge that helps to develop my creativity and make my work even more unique.

Interview by Sveta CherryGardenDolls