What made you approach art and become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)?
Art has always been a part of our family - my sisters and I drew, my grandfather's brothers painted pictures. When I was child, I came to the village for the summer to my grandparents and visited my grandfather's brother, there he hid a huge painting of a naked woman behind a closet. I liked to look behind the closet and tried to see the painting. I think that they hid painting for the arrival of the grandchildren.
But my older sister Irina Bogdanova discovered in me a real love for art and a desire to become an artist. Irina has been drawing since childhood and I drew with her. And once she showed me paintings by Boris Vallejo and I fell in love. Since then, I dreamed of learning to paint like Boris Vallejo and entering the history of art.
What is your artistic journey, techniques and subjects you have experimented with to date?
I've been drawing for as long as I can remember and it's the only thing I really liked. I started with graphics and my favorite tool became a blue ballpoint pen. During my school years, I gradually started experimenting with gouache and watercolor, and only at the university did I discover oil paints and sculpture.
After graduating from the university, I moved to Kyiv and immersed myself in the study of computer graphics. I became a 3D sculptor and took part in the creation of games, cartoon series and the full-length Ukrainian cartoon "Gulliver Returns" from "95 Animation Studio" - this is my pride.
But I always wanted to paint and tell my own stories in painting. That's why I started painting again. The central theme of all my paintings has always been women.
What are 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
Not all art appeals to me because of gloomy colors and often ugly images. I try to give people positive emotions with my paintings, so I use positive colors for my paintings, for example, the blue color that I often use as a background for portraits is the blue sky.
I like to convey the emotions of the heroines of my paintings, and a smile is my favorite emotion, because it has a huge range of shades - happiness, laughter and even sadness.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Women's beauty inspires me again and again.
I have two sisters and two cousins, and probably this is what taught me to appreciate women's beauty. Everyone in our family is beautiful and each individuality. Among my two sisters, I am the youngest and I really liked to watch how my sisters change and mature, how they bloom like flowers and become more and more beautiful every day. But a woman is not only her beauty, it is also emotions of happiness and sadness, sexuality and sensuality, strength and passion, anger and even revenge. I like to watch how women move, how they laugh and talk, female plasticity is incredible.
What is the intent of your art? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I strive to give people positive emotions with my paintings. I want people to smile when looking at my paintings, I want to share a part of my happiness with all people, so that the world becomes a little brighter and warmer for everyone, because only goodness can save the world.
What is the process of creation of your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technique, inspiration from art classics or other)?
Usually, when I paint one painting, I'm already planning several more. Images simply arise in my imagination and I make a small pencil sketch in the album. Sometimes I am inspired by live communication with people, a single smile, a hand gesture or a glance to the side - evokes an image for a painting. Sometimes it's photos on Pinterest. And sometimes it is communication through social networks. I have a huge stack of sketches waiting for their turn since my school days. My painting "Pomegranate Flower" was inspired me by the film "American Beauty".
So when I have a pencil sketch on paper and if I don't lose interest in the idea, I start taking photos for the painting, looking for imiges on Pinterest and looking for a composition. After that, I make a pencil sketch on the canvas and start painting with oil paints. Work on a painting can last from one week to several months.
What techniques do you prefer?If yes, can you explain it?
I like to work in the technique of old masters without using paint solvents, all my paintings are painted exclusively with oil. For paintings, I use oil paints and canvases stretched on stretchers.
Are there any innovative aspects to your work? Can you tell us which ones?
There are no innovations in my work. On the contrary, I like the techniques of old masters - I study them and use them in my artworks.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with?If yes, Why?
I love oil paints and canvases on a stretcher - it's magic for me. I take a clean snow-white canvas and start painting a story on it. Currently, my favorite format for paintings is 150*110 cm. I like that a painting of this size can become the centerpiece of an interior.
Where do you produce your work? At home, in a shared or private studio? And within this space how is your production organized?
I paint my paintings at home, in my apartment. Comfort and the fact that my family is nearby are important to me. However, I want to increase the format of my paintings and try garden and park sculpture, so I plan to organize my workshop.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for shows or exhibitions? If so, what do you gain from it?
I am inspired by travels, my exhibitions and communication with people - this gives me the impetus to create new paintings. I meet collectors through social networks - for me it is always an incredible happiness when I find a person who likes my art. It is amazing when a person from another corner of the world suddenly realizes that this painting was created for him or her. I really like to communicate with collectors - it really warms the soul, because each painting is a part of my soul and for me it is really important where my painting will continue its life.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your figure as an artist in the future?
Each new painting teaches me and I enjoy watching my progress. My childhood dream is to enter the history of art, so I will create new and new paintings and I think that my world masterpiece in the history of art is yet to come.
What is the topic, style, or technique of your latest artistic production?
The main series of my paintings at the moment is "Dessert Girls", where in portraits I convey female beauty emphasized by desserts made of ice cream, fruits, berries and chocolate. But in my paintings you will also find seductive women with snakes and warrior women with swords. I love to glorify about women's beauty and I want to dedicate my work to it.
Nude nature is especially interesting for me, I like to convey the sensitivity and sexuality of the female body.
I like to use pastel colors, especially blues and pinks, they remind me of the sky at sunset and go well with desserts. I also like the combination of deep blue, red and black colors, for me these are the colors of passion.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
My first personal exhibition in Kyiv, it took place in November 2021. For me, it became a turning point in my life, even the preparation for the exhibition itself was something incredible - I have never painted so much. After this exhibition, I realized that this is my path, that I want to be an artist all my life.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why would you choose it?
"Touches" by Boris Vallejo. It seems to be my favorite painting. Passion, beauty and sensuality are combined in this picture, it fascinates me.
If you could invite a famous artist (dead or living) to dinner, who would it be? How would you propose him/her to spend the evening?
Actually, I can't choose one artist. I would invite the 4 best - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, William Bouguereau and Boris Vallejo. It was these great artists who influenced me the most. I think that their love for people was boundless, I would like to paint with them and treat them to cheesecake and coffee.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
