PLANTS OF ANDALUCIA
Series of drawings depicting plants from Andalucia (2018 – 2021)
It’s early December, afternoon, the warmest moment of the day. I’m basking in the sun in the empty park, where people tend not to hang out during siesta time. My Slavic eyes, used to the grey and white Eastern European winters, are struck by the amount of light and the multitude of vivid colors all around. The contrast of green leaves and bright orange fruits in the sun makes everything look energetic and happy. The irregular shapes and textures of the pomegranates are asking me to come and have a closer look at them. Many fruits have already opened, and, inpatient to be collected, show their fascinating inside structures. The nature around me invites me so nicely with its warming sunbeams that I decide to explore it and describe it with the language of drawing.
While living in Andalucia and working on the series Plants of Andalucia, my approach to drawing nature evolved. Before starting to work on this series, I mostly used to depict plants in ways that evoked reflections of a sensitive individual in relation to the world. You can see examples of such images among my printmaking works. They were either free interpretations of forms found in nature or imaginary plants. However, when I moved to the southern Spain, I just couldn’t take my eyes off the overwhelming variety of species around me. I started creating portraits of plants because of their beauty, because of the stories that they seemed to whisper, and because I wanted to learn more about them. My focus moved from my internal world to the outside world, the natural world full of stories, surprises and wisdom.
Some prints from this series are available for sale here.
