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"Human Light" Prints and Drawings - an Exhibition at the ADMIN Gallery
of the St Louis Community College at Florissant Valley - Dec 2010/ Febr 2011
Thanks to Jim Gormley and Janice Nesser-Chu for the invitation!
In 2004, when I had to decide to travel to the USA as a legal immigrant or to
stay in my native Bulgaria, I went through all my artworks made till that moment.
I had worked as an Artist and Art Teacher ever since I graduated with MFA
from the National Art Academy in Sofia and I wanted to continue. I had created
artworks ever since I remember. The opportunity to see the way life is in the
enormously more powerful economy of the USA, was something hard to miss. I
knew the opportunities for artists there are much more then in Bulgaria. And my
decision was taken with the intend to come back to Bulgaria one day, more
experienced and with connections with the big world across the ocean. In that
year I had to say "No!" to the fear of the unknown and to trust the Creator,
contributing to his plan. I didn't know that I will become part of the American
People and will meet some of the best friends in my life -within just 6 years.
Art has no nationality and it belongs to all nations. It is welcome everywhere.
For me, as with most kids, it started with Drawing - simple pen or pencil
drawing. I could spend hours drawing. Later at the Art schools one of our
model studies was taking up to 30 hours or more. People's faces always have
been fascinating for me.
When I was 12 years old my parents took me to an art teacher. We are good
friends now after 28 years of knowing each other and working together. His
name is Mincho Panayotov - in his studio I learned the printmaking process in
addition to my classes at the High School of Fine Arts and the studies at the
Academy in Sofia. One of his gifts for me was an album with Japanese prints
reproductions. From his library I borrowed a book with Kete Kolwitz artworks,
one of the first women artists I knew. His slides and books were showing us,
his students, artists like Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Leonardo,
Van Gogh, Degas, Jules Pascin, George Papazov and so many more. The way
he was teaching was emotional and human.
In America I saw this emotional humanness everywhere - at work, on the
streets, in the galleries. I was blessed with a job at the St Louis Art Museum.
And the learning continued. Meeting people and seeing high class Art in the
galleries all day and working as an artist in my time off, was a true blessing.
This exhibition shows new and old drawings and prints with an emphasis on
human faces and their expressions. I will never forget the words -
"You understand how much you love somebody when you start seeing his face
and talking to it, even when the person is missing..."
of the St Louis Community College at Florissant Valley - Dec 2010/ Febr 2011
Thanks to Jim Gormley and Janice Nesser-Chu for the invitation!
In 2004, when I had to decide to travel to the USA as a legal immigrant or to
stay in my native Bulgaria, I went through all my artworks made till that moment.
I had worked as an Artist and Art Teacher ever since I graduated with MFA
from the National Art Academy in Sofia and I wanted to continue. I had created
artworks ever since I remember. The opportunity to see the way life is in the
enormously more powerful economy of the USA, was something hard to miss. I
knew the opportunities for artists there are much more then in Bulgaria. And my
decision was taken with the intend to come back to Bulgaria one day, more
experienced and with connections with the big world across the ocean. In that
year I had to say "No!" to the fear of the unknown and to trust the Creator,
contributing to his plan. I didn't know that I will become part of the American
People and will meet some of the best friends in my life -within just 6 years.
Art has no nationality and it belongs to all nations. It is welcome everywhere.
For me, as with most kids, it started with Drawing - simple pen or pencil
drawing. I could spend hours drawing. Later at the Art schools one of our
model studies was taking up to 30 hours or more. People's faces always have
been fascinating for me.
When I was 12 years old my parents took me to an art teacher. We are good
friends now after 28 years of knowing each other and working together. His
name is Mincho Panayotov - in his studio I learned the printmaking process in
addition to my classes at the High School of Fine Arts and the studies at the
Academy in Sofia. One of his gifts for me was an album with Japanese prints
reproductions. From his library I borrowed a book with Kete Kolwitz artworks,
one of the first women artists I knew. His slides and books were showing us,
his students, artists like Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Leonardo,
Van Gogh, Degas, Jules Pascin, George Papazov and so many more. The way
he was teaching was emotional and human.
In America I saw this emotional humanness everywhere - at work, on the
streets, in the galleries. I was blessed with a job at the St Louis Art Museum.
And the learning continued. Meeting people and seeing high class Art in the
galleries all day and working as an artist in my time off, was a true blessing.
This exhibition shows new and old drawings and prints with an emphasis on
human faces and their expressions. I will never forget the words -
"You understand how much you love somebody when you start seeing his face
and talking to it, even when the person is missing..."