Interview with artist Marina Venediktova

The artist shows the audience something unique that was noticed by him in a short moment in the vast time of his life. I am not an exception.

• I am a part of the world of artists, and therefore I constantly look at life either through a microscope or through a telescope. 
•  I am looking for exceptional and unique manifestations of reality in the smallest forms of the nature surrounding me. 
•  I am looking for clues inside the process of meditation, which is an important part of my life. 
•  I am looking for answers about the purpose of being, studying the ancient science of Astrology and applying its laws to my own Path on Earth.  

But words are too stingy to describe it, so I chose my own language – the language of canvas and oil paints. I know that I am on the right track. I am sure of it, because I am enjoying every moment of time I have spent, creating a new artwork. At these moments I talk to my inner self, and this conversation can last for hours. My work is not a static picture, it is a meditative rhythm, it is a flow of life, it is an experience that will open up to you in a new way every time. 

We have conducted an interview with artist Marina Venediktova.

Of all the achievements you have made so far, what would you consider the most challenging?

Despite the fact that I have been familiar with the topic of drawing and painting since childhood, I really deeply entered this path only at the age of 35. I
did not have a higher education in the field of art and art and I began to study in the evenings after my main work in a painting studio for adults, and all my days off I practiced in the workshops of artists who had an academic art education. Thus, after 5 years of hard work, I mastered a new science and came to a new profession. Changing the cardinally familiar old life and career, following my dream and realizing it - this is the main achievement that I can mark as Victory. Learning to write copies of portraits of famous world painters of the past centuries was a great happiness for me. And only after that, I decided to try to express my inner creative creativity on canvas, to display my vision of beauty and a unique look on painting. If you are interested, you can see my classic paintings at this link on my website. 

What motivates you to open a drawing school? 

Many people live to arrange and stabilize their material and physical lives, and their hearts and souls are forgotten and remain alone. But when their material world stabilizes, when the comfort of life is reached, when the children have grown up and the person is left alone, then the Soul begins to yearn at this stable habitual pace and many people begin to look for something new with which they can fill the next years of their lives. Onr begin to remember their childhood dreams and try to fulfill them. In adulthood, it is almost impossible to decide to start a new education at the academy, and therefore I decided to offer people training not in the long-term theory of drawing and painting, but in step-by-step practical work from the zero level to the level until they have the strength and desire to grow. In my studio, teach young artists who either take part in the higher courses of the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg or have already received a diploma. They also need practice and need to earn money for life. In this way, we all help each other's development.

Which is your favorite painting technique? 

Why I tried many techniques, I drew with a pencil, watercolors. I have created a lot of clay works. But my heart has always been happy only from working with oil paints on canvas. They are flexible, they allow you to make changes to the painting within a few days. They are similar to the mood of the artist, the same changeable and multifaceted. Recently I decided to test my attitude to acrylic paints, bought several pieces, tried it and could not make friends with them. They are created for those who know how to work quickly and get immediate results. And I am a great romantic and it is important for me to be in a living process for a long time.

Why do you think your works of art and styles are close to surrealism and/or abstraction? 

For many years I have been painting copies of Dutch still lifes, I was amazed at the perfect detail. At the same time, I wrote my still lifes in the same technique, studying the accuracy of the objects in them. I have acquired a lot of skill through this work. When I went to the Academy of Astrology (I am a certified Astrologer) and realized that the world is not only what we see, but also what we feel, there are things that are not visible through the eyes. Then I began to try to draw what I feel, what I think, what is in my soul. The viewer who looks at the picture finds in the image something close to him, but feels completely different emotions, his own. Therefore, abstraction and surrealism have become my favorite areas of work. Basically, I'm not trying to give a name to my painting style . If I feel that I am pleased with the process and the result on the canvas, then I consider this a correct assessment of my work.

Who or what inspires you in your creation? 

From the moment I remember my childhood, I have always loved to observe changes in nature, for example, how an ice piece melts in my hand, how the clouds in the sky quickly change shape. I felt the irreversibility of the past moment and wanted to stop it. I try to show what is invisible or inconspicuous, something that is fragile and quickly disappears. I love looking at the fluidity of water, the foam of the waves and the play of sunlight in them. This is an endless opportunity for my creativity.

In five years time, what do you aspire to achieve?

Most of all, all these 5 years, I will try to protect my inner creative world. There is such an expression "My muse" This is an unknown force that helps to find new subjects for painting, helps not to get tired in work, helps to make painting alive and radiating energy. If Muse leaves the artist, then his works lose their attractiveness, they become similar to the same type of colorful spots. Therefore, my main task is to grow and develop My Muse. And I hope she will give me wonderful fruits)))