Three faces and hands (2019) Drawing by Mariya Markina

Hi, my name is Mariya. I am an artist living and working in Moscow.

"I have to be an artist" - this phrase has become something in the form of a mantra that settled in my head. I don't know exactly when it came, but it did. Everything screamed inside that this is a terrible idea. The lack of a steady income, education, connections in the art world, that's crazy... But I decided. Now or never. I have no idea where this path will lead me, but I have found the strength to go through it. I hope this adventure has a happy end.

Maybe my work lacks academic skills, sometimes I lack knowledge, but all my work comes from the heart. They are all portraits of my soul. In them you will find yourself, your reflection, your feelings and experiences. Often I make the characters of my works emotions, portraying them in the form of different images. The works are partly filled with symbols, which I interpret in my own way. But, it gives me great joy when my friends, thinking about a particular work, filled with their own meaning. I like that people find in my paintings echoes of their stories and experiences.

So they really feel my art. Sometimes ideas for paintings come to me in my dreams, sometimes they are formed by a long hard work, and sometimes it happens that they are simply drawn, as if from the air... As for the techniques and materials I work with – it's graphic drawings, watercolors, oil paints, oil pastels, and generally everything that can be drawn. I am sure that all this is just the beginning, because I have so many creative plans and ideas ahead of me. I would be glad to know that my art makes people from all over the world happy. Therefore, I applied exactly to your site. I think that together we can fill the world with art! This is the story of me, thank you for your attention.

Best regards, Mariya

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