Featured artist: Anastasiya Prosvetova, Prosvetovaart. Acrylic painting

When you see a picture that's touching to you, you wants to know more about its creator. That what happened with us when we see the beautiful works of our team member, Anastasiya at her shop, Prosvetovaart. So we contacted her and asked to tell us a bit about herself and her artistic inspiration. Anastasiya agreed and we are happy to share her story with you, our dear readers.

 Here is her story:

My name is Anastasiya Prosvetova and I am an artists from St. Petersburgh, Russia. I paint little gentle winged creatures who leave me when they find people who love them. It was sad at first, especially when the first angels were gone but I am always happy for them. Their light images are always a part of me and my new creations.

New images are coming and staying with me. They are waiting for the right moment and showing me their story like a colorful slide show. Where they are coming from?

... The snow was softly falling on the ground this morning. Here is a new image, a new story. The pencil is begging me to pick it up. The magic is coming from daily life. You just need to look around and see the inspiration.

 When you take a thought trapped in your mind and turn it into your image it's like freeing a bird from a cage. You feel light and excited. You are  not sad about anything and you do not think about anything. The world around you is kind and beautiful.

And this is my favorite state of mind.

Interview by Tanya Socksandmittens

The art of Ebru

I would like to start with my personal history. I was fortunate to take several master classes on ebru right in my hometown. A couple of years ago I became fascinated with unusual drawings I found on the web. Those were strange depictions of flowers on marble-like background. They turned out to be ebru, the ancient Eastern art. 

 Ebru probably comes from Turkestan originally. Later it penetrated Iran and Ottoman Empire. This is a traditional Turkiс and Islamic art. In Persian, “ebru” means “cloud”. It is also known as “Turkish paper” or “Turkish marbling”. Initially this technique was used to decorate binding and end leaves of books. There were no manuals on ebru, as the knowledge was passed from masters to apprentices. Traditionally ebru was made by men, and they gave a deep sacral meaning to creating these images on the water surface.

Ebru is born in water

Finds its soul in colours

And emerges on paper

When I firmly decided to try doing ebru, I found that it was not too easy. All materials are very specific. Kitre, the solution for ebru, is made from water and geven resin which comes from a geven tree. It has to infuse for 6-8 hours before it can be used. Dyes are made from pigments which are mixed with water and bull’s bile. The more bile is there in the dye, the more interesting and full will be the blooming of a drop of dye on paper. Brushes are also made by hand, using a rose twig and horse hair.

Ebru is highly valued by those who understand it. Every image is one of a kind. It is impossible to replicate the image created by the artist jointly with water. It is believed that ebru provides a snapshot from the artist’s soul at that point in time.

If you decide to start making ebru, you will need patience and commitment. It takes time to master these materials. My children love ebru and happily work on it, as the process is so amazing and whimsical.

In my next article I will tell you about modern ebru artists and share more details of our family experience with ebru.

 

Story by Ekaterina Ryazanova (KatyaCoil)

Translated by Eugenie (MulberryWhisper) 

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More about the author: Ekaterina is an artist working in many techniques such as painting on silk, stained glass, decoupage and mixed media. See more of her creations at her KatyaCoil shop on Etsy.

Some thoughts on art, exhibitions and inspiration

The art exhibits are very powerful source of inspiration for me. I love to see the wonderful works of art and always trying to see as many art shows as possible.

 According to the Art Basel Miami Beach website, the event is known as the most prestigious art show in the Americas.  Over 250 leading galleries from all over the world take part, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.  Since the first exhibition held ten years ago, a greater number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world participate in Art Basel Miami Beach - the favorite winter meeting place for the international art world.

 The exhibiting galleries are among the world's most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers.  Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art.  The show is a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum-caliber artworks.  Top-quality exhibitions in the museums of South Florida and special programs for art collectors and curators also help make the event a special time for encountering art.

 This year's 10th anniversary show marked my 3rd Art Basel experience.  As I walk through the exhibition and view each piece, a handful of pieces inspire my future creations.  

 For instance, after this year's show, I have introduced my used coffee grounds into my paintings. 

 This process have not only given me more recyclable or “green” ideas, but simply adding the coffee grounds and coffee beans to my painting has given them a more unique quality to my creations.

Other exhibits provided inspiration for my latest jewelry designs which I am currently preparing.

 For the people considering whether or not to attend the next Art Basel show in Miami Beach, I would HIGHLY recommend it. This is wonderful and I am sure, you will get inspired, too!

  

Story by Vera (Luxurybyvera) and Mike,

Photography by Katya Gubanova

Gifts from the heart

A good gift will be remembered forever.

If you would like to impress your friends with a perfect gift please visit the Elephant's Corner shop on Etsy.

The owner of the store is a very talented New York based artist Yury Tarler. You can find his work in numerous private and museum collections and now you have a unique opportunity to buy his work directly from his Etsy shop where you can find art objects for every day life.

In his store Yury offers wide range of “ready to ship” gifts such as clocks, tea sets and decorative plates.

Let’s talk about tea sets:
“A Little Violin”- his masterful brush strokes is laconic and precise. Can you imagine serving tea to your dear friend with this tea pot and Mozart on a background?


Or the same object with the “Tango” theme creates an atmosphere of love and passion


Look at the “Rainy Street” set - don’t you see the blink of sun through the rain? Isn’t a symbol of hope?


“Venice” is my favorite - those mysterious creates will bring this city's magic to your kitchen.


Close your eyes and you’ll fill that something truly exceptional is happening right in your house.

Recently Yury created a series of decorative plates with a wide range of themes - here are cityscapes, scenes of wild life and animals. Yury admires an infinite Venetian theme. His plates with Tragicomic masks layered with city scenes will make a perfect gift for any occasions.



Please visit store of Yury Tarler and you won’t be disappointed.


Story by Lana (BelleCoccinelle) & Ludmila (Woolsolution)

Interview with a Star - Serden from Serdomania

Love, painted in black and red. Passion, loneliness, sadness, hope - all of these feelings will overwhelm you when you look at Serden's paintings. His Serdomania shop on Etsy is easy to recognize because his works are one of a kind.

Please welcome Serden from Serdomania!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Serden,
Pencil artist and also photographer.

Born in Turkey.
Graduated with a Tourism Management degree from Economy University of Varna in Bulgaria.
Lived in Bulgaria, California, New York and Ukraine.

Speaks: Turkish, English, Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian.

What are your main sources of inspiration?
My artwork is called dream and I draw my dreams. Everyone has a dream, and they do come true. My inspirations are not only my dreams, but my future, love, breath, tears, feelings, hopes.
But my main inspiration is the love.

When you look at my drawings, you can not see so many faces. Because I am searching the real love in my drawings. This is my secret.

How would you describe your style?
I use just black, white and magical red colors on my works. I strive to produce realistic looking drawings and add my own conceptual ideas, too. I'm trying to form my own style, and share my soul, my feelings with everyone. My style sometimes is crazy, sometimes is romantic, sometimes is sad. But it is all about love.

Do you have a Favorite quote you'd like to share with us?
Whatever you want, say now. Whatever you want, do now. Because tomorrow will be late for it.

Why will people love your items?
Because I create different things. And people find themselves in my artworks.

Where would you like to go with your business?
I don't make so many plans, but I love what I do. When people love my artworks, it makes me to create more and more. I hope some day everyone will know my artworks. And when they put my drawings in their houses, my soul also will be there. Maybe my body is not going to be there but my soul always will be there.

Name 3 things you can’t live without?
1-My family and friends
2-Love
3-Art

Blooming garden

My garden is all I can think about now. I caught myself stopping regularly by the nurseries to see if they've received anything new I could add to our garden. I am hoping for peonies and lilacs to arrive but it's too hot for them where I live.

Instead I am getting petunias and roses, even though my garden is full of them. I just can not resist to see the colorful flowers and smell the wonderful fragrance every spring!

So many people are enjoying gardening right now. Some of them are also trying to save the moment by creating the wonderful items by any possible means. Jewelry, felted brooches and scarves, pretty clothing, art photography and paintings, there is so many ways to remember the spring garden at any time of the year!

Then it will stay with you forever.

Photo sources from top, then left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

Photo sources from top, then left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

Photo sources from top, then left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4

Story by Tanya (Socksandmittens)
Photo collages by Katrin (KarisaGraphic)

Interview with a star - Yury Tarler

Today we'd like to introduce a very unique store and a member of our team. Please meet Yury Tarler, an artist, sculptor and interior designer.



Yury studied in the most prestigious art school in Russia, The Academy of Fine Arts in St.Petersburg.

During his career he made portraits of Pope John Paul II; Archbishop Renato R. Martino, head of Mission of the Vatican in the United Nations; Nelson Rockefeller; Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late shah of Iran; Ali Reza Pahlavi, son of shah; Countess Nadia de Navarro and many others.


He produced illustrations for number of respected publications including GQ magazine and participated in the building of two monuments in Russia.

Yuri participated in creation of designs for number of architectural developments in the USA.
His design works include Museum of General Motors in Detroit, RocCity in New York, theme restaurants as Harley Davidson, Motown and others. Yuri's works have been displayed in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis and Moscow. In recognition of his work he won several awards.

Yury Tarler also completed many independently commissioned projects.


In his store you won’t find standard Etsy’s decorations and handmade pieces. Yury is offering very stylish graphics, unordinary full of life paintings and custom made portraits from photos.



Graphic works of Yury are very unusual and full of details. It's difficult to realize it from the first look but the more you look at the drawings, the more understandable they become.



Oil paintings of Yury Tarler can not leave anyone uninterested!


His paintings are very complex, full of internal light and unusual details.



Yury makes custom portraits from photos or from real life. He makes portraits of children, adults, and portraits of deceased. His works are very realistic, you can judge yourself!



All graphic works in the store are on sale, so welcome to Art by Yury Tarler (yury4465) !

Story by Lana (FineEmbroidery)