Vasco Kirov was born in the town of Dobrich, Bulgaria in 1960. He had a formal education in music and worked as a violin teacher in the early eighties. A desire for greater creative exposure and richer life experiences subsequently lead him to working as a prospecting driller, knife maker, blacksmith and ethnic jewellery maker, among others. After immigrating to South Africa in 1991, he immersed himself in fine jewellery design and manufacture, and was awarded seven prestigious design awards for excellence in diamond jewellery design. Vasco still designs and fabricates fine jewellery pieces in his studio in Cape Town.
Vasco started painting in 2003 as a means of exploring a new form of creative expression. He never paints real objects – the compositions and colours rather spring from dreams or visualizations. Conveying an overall emotional impetus is what drives the creative process, rather than a direct representation of actual forms and colours. Vasco’s work is known for his use of vibrant colours and plentiful texture.
