Сommon viburnum (2020) Painting by Ekaterina Kosushkina

I have been painting since childhood, painted everywhere, painted everything around. But the images of plants were a special love. I spent every summer at my grandmother's dacha and spent whole days in the garden at my easel. My favorite child's work is a ripe red currant bush.

When choosing a profession, there was no doubt - only an artist. At S.G. Stroganov Moscow State University of Art and Industry, I choose the department of restoration because it was the only place where I can paint by oil and study various drawing techniques. We studied not only painting techniques but also copied a lot. My favorite subject was still life period Golden Age, Flemish artists.

After graduation, I worked a lot as a restorer. I went on business trips a lot, we restored churches throughout Russia. I had the opportunity to get to know the painting of the former masters heads to head, to understand their lines, colors, colorit. I have done a lot of icon restoration. I worked in the State Historical Museum, in the museum of the Novodevichy Convent.

All this experience is being processed through the prism of my consciousness and poured into my works. My insight (all my childhood was spent in museums), my accuracy of the line (so many masters were copied). My sense of color (so many colors were selected during the restoration process) - all this resulted in my paintings.

Plants and other nature are an endless source of inspiration. How I wish I could capture all of them. I only paint what touches my soul. I cannot lie or pretend in my works. All my paintings express an incredible admiration for nature.

Having a deep love of botanicals and gardening I am now directing my passion in watercolor painting by creating this new series of flowers. Keeping the colors deep and wanting to give a sense of maturity and age with the flowers, as classical masters conquered Chiaroscuro, with brooding depths, this is my desired outcome.

It is the style of botanical painting that helps me convey this. It's precision of details, scrupulousness of execution, accurate reproduction of the color, and character of the plant.

I can admire every blade of grass. How I would like to convey this feeling to the viewer. That everything is beautiful.

My inner sense of beauty is based on the Dutch Golden Age.  Choice of a subject born out of love and admiration for the flower. My artworks in a certain sense, a reinvention of the Dutch Golden Age. These artworks are a modern classic. That is why I have so many works on a dark background. A dark background highlights the main subject. Helps to emphasize his character in contrast. Reveal and highlight all the nuances. The dark background is the stage for the lead actor's solo.

My artworks are in the fund of the Pushkin State Museum of Art, the Museum of S.G. Stroganov Moscow State University of Art and Industry, in private collections in Moscow, Kazan, Serbia, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy.

• Nationality: RUSSIA
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Russian Contemporary Artists