Oil Painting

To be sound, a painting must be built on a compositional foundation in this order:

1. Drawing
2. Value
3. Color
4. Edges

If these get addressed in any other order, problems generally ensue.
Recently, the artist Jeremy Lipking was asked what advice he would give to painters, and he said:
“Draw more, that’s basically it. A lot of people feel like they know how to draw good enough already, but don’t trust yourself. Learn to draw better.”
With the fewest words and most pictures possible, I would like to briefly address the issue of drawing. In the following visual example, I have shown how fundamentally a piece can change when just the drawing is ignored. The values and color are the same in both pieces. The point is obvious:

Too often we divorce drawing from painting, and we do it to our own detriment. Drawing isn’t something we do in school once and then move on to the weightier matters of art; it is always the foundation. It’s also hard to do because it takes sustained and focused practice, which is why students usually, at least initially, copy the stroke quality and edges of other artists, because those things are more easily observed and imitated.
Another mistake we often make is to exclusively think of drawing as line-based. Line can certainly be a useful tool when drawing, because the instruments employed tend to create thinner marks, but really, drawing is about principles, not marks. Thus, I would like to address two principles of drawing: Proportion and Simplification of Form.

1. PROPORTION

There is a lot one could talk about here, but basically, it comes down to creating an unequal distribution of space in a piece. This is also the same for unequal proportions of value, color, and edges.

In these two examples, I have laid out how proportion of shapes, space, and value can affect a piece. No one of these proportion examples is correct or incorrect all the time, but it’s important to be aware of how and why you’re distributing/dividing space. When plein air painting, this is most often manifest in how we choose a horizon line and a focal point. We usually respond emotionally to everything we’re seeing in nature, and thus want to paint the sky, meadow, trees, and mountains all at once. But of course we can’t have a conversation with two people at once, so everything ends up feeling confused and passive. Next time you’re looking at a scene, try choosing one thing and letting that dominate. This is true within a shape as well (i.e. branches within a tree), which leads us to the next principle.

2. BASIC SHAPES

When I was young I saw how-to-draw books that broke things down into basic shapes and I thought they were lame. The drawings in those books didn’t seem to match the highly rendered pieces that I responded to and used as an aspirational goal. So, as most of us, I focused on rendering and shading and learned how to do it well. That was drawing to me.
But the more I learned post-high school, I started to see the pattern of truth re-emerge: Basic shapes REALLY ARE the way to draw. And it starts with training our eyes and minds to simplify down what we see to the most basic elements:

But it’s not enough to merely simplify something. In fact, getting to the essence of something is extremely difficult. It’s the same reason why writers often comment that a strong short story is harder to write than a novel. One can use fewer words in a conversation and be either concise or confusing. So, don’t just simplify down shapes, be descriptive with them.

To close, here is an example of how I made choices of proportion and simplification in a painting:

The reference image gives the basic information, but in a static way. I chose the elements I felt were most interesting and descriptive and tried to build a painting around the idea using unequal proportions and descriptive simplification of shapes, values, colors, and edges.
May this be a year of stronger drawing in all of our work.

There is great power in the spoken word. As a lover of words – especially beautiful words – I’ve always known this. But the older I get, the more I realize what a responsibility we have towards what we say or don’t say. Words have power to break resolve, crush hopes, or batter one’s spirit. They also have the ability to encourage, motivate, and embolden.
Over the years I’ve been on the receiving end of some wise advice, and several of those conversations will always stand out to me as having changed my life in some way. While I won’t burden you with every single life lesson I’ve learned, I will tell you about one recent conversation that helped tear down a huge mental block I was facing in my art.
It was nearly two months ago. I was one of the hundreds of guests (mostly artists) crowding into Gallery 1261 for the opening reception of Richard Schmid’s retrospective show. The place was packed and I had to speak at the top of my lungs to be heard by anyone standing more than twelve inches from me. In this space, I crossed paths with the indomitable Rose Frantzen, one of my all-time favorite artists and someone I greatly admire. We were practically yelling in each other’s faces to be heard above the chaos, and yet out of this noise came such wisdom from Rose, I find myself thinking about it still.
I don’t remember how it came up, but I was telling her about a portrait commission I had been working on for the past five months and how much of a struggle it was. I had repainted the face four or five times, and each time it only seemed to get worse, not better. Rose, in her unsympathetic but not unkind way, said, “Start over. Let the dead paintings die.” She then proceeded to tell me about a commission that she had done from an old black and white photograph. She spent over a hundred hours on this painting, laboring to get every detail exactly perfect. Then, she started a second one and completed it in just six hours. It was different from the first, but no less perfect. She presented the clients with both paintings, not telling them which one she had spent more time on. The clients chose the six-hour painting. Later, they called her and said they also wanted to buy the other one.
I was blown away by Rose’s story and realized that this woman does not let fear get to her. I think I’m confident but then after one conversation with someone like Rose, I realize I still have much to learn!
After that, I went home to my studio, and, with some dread, sent the clients an email explaining that I needed to start over and would need some more time. To my surprise and relief, they were very understanding and said they appreciated that I was working so hard to get it right!

I went back to the pose and setting that I had intuitively felt worked the best (but not the one they chose, originally), and started a brand new painting. These paintings were not small, or simple. The portrait was to be 40×30 inches, with an elaborate garden setting and bright sunlight bouncing all around. But I started the new portrait with fresh vigor and felt so much freer to make a great painting, not just a painting of what I thought the clients would want.
I was nearing the finish line when I decided I ought to start a third portrait. The clients were apprehensive about their daughter’s stoic expression, which didn’t really fit her personality. So I went back to the smile that they were drawn to originally, and started another painting in order to give the clients more options. The lighting was very different in this one, as was the expression, so the two paintings almost had nothing in common except for the subject.
Finally, I presented both paintings to the clients. They sat and deliberated, weighing the pros and cons of each one. We all agreed that I could have painted a hundred paintings of this sweet little girl and they still wouldn’t capture every facet of who she is! But a painting tells so much more of a story than a photo does. It captures something deeper, something that grows on you every time you look at it.
Finally, the clients decided they wanted to buy both.
Grit and hard work do pay off, but not unless you have the confidence to carry through. I am grateful for Rose’s words of wisdom and for challenging me to let go of the long hours and miles of canvas in order to make my best work. Now I can deliver my finished portraits in full confidence that I did the absolute best I could do – without regrets. My clients and I are both the better for it!
I hope this post encourages you in some way to keep going. If you’ve been struggling with a project and it just isn’t working, start over! Know that those hours were not in vain, because each time you start fresh, you’ll have that wealth of experience from your previous painting to help you make more informed decisions along the way. Happy painting!

Carolyn Anderson is a nationally recognized artist. Her work hangs in the collections of many well-known artists as well as private collectors across the globe. Her interpretive style of painting has made her a highly sought after workshop instructor.

Here’s why I needed to see Carolyn: Stat!

Earlier in the summer, I was excited to join a new group of artists who paint portraits from models every week. Since we met so often, I thought that all this great practice would lead to a freer, more interpretive style in my paintings. Sadly, I was mistaken.
 
 

 
 
 
 
Instead of evolving into a looser style, my portrait studies became more academic, with lots of attention paid to the form of the head and the likeness of my model. But I wanted to evolve! I wanted my portraits to stand alone as pieces of art, rather than something only the model’s family would love.
I knew that I needed to see Carolyn Anderson, and fast. I had gone to one of her workshops a few years ago, and I wanted “Michelle” painted by Ann Feldman before Carolyn’s workshop to reinforce the concepts she taught me about “how to see” and how to integrate the model into a dynamic composition.
Fechin Art Workshops in Taos, New Mexico had an opening in Carolyn’s next workshop. Little did I know how lucky I was to land this spot! The workshop included a room at the beautiful and rustic Hotel St Bernard, nestled in the Taos ski valley, and every day for five days, we painted well into the evenings, with breaks for yoga and meals provided by Jean Mayer, who has hosted visitors to his hotel for over 50 years. Our workshop organizer, Elise Waters Olonia made sure that we could focus all of our attention on our art. I was in heaven!

Here’s what I learned from Carolyn:

The following is a description of a series of demonstrations done by Carolyn for our workshop, condensed into one example. In addition to these demonstrations, Carolyn presented very comprehensive lectures on color theory, edges, temperature, and the art of interpretation, among other topics. To cover all of this information, this article would become the size of a book, so I will focus on what I learned from her demonstrations.

Approach the Composition as a Whole

Carolyn doesn’t paint a model’s head as a separate entity. She looks for the extreme values in the entire setup and makes marks for the darkest darks and the lightest lights and uses these marks to guide the more nuanced values in the rest of the painting.

Find Direction, Movement, and Shapes in the Composition

From her initial value marks, she finds interesting shapes and pathways through the composition to make the painting dynamic. This is not the time to define shapes, but to make visual connections that are interesting. She explained that since our eyes pick up value and movement first, we need to use this information throughout the painting process, but most importantly in the very beginning.

Look for Color and Nuance

As she makes her value notes and begins to find directional movement, she also notices color nuance beginning to emerge, and makes color notes throughout the composition. She loads her brush with a color that she sees, then uses it all over the composition wherever it appears to create color harmony in her painting. She tells us that this also keeps her from painting “things”, and dwelling too long on small parts of the composition. She continually builds the painting as a whole.

Build the Painting

She abbreviates steps instead of overdeveloping any areas of the painting and lets areas with similar value intermingle. She avoids solid outlines, especially around the head. She suggests shapes and allows them to meld into the background or other shapes whenever possible. She looks for visual connections everywhere, and tells us that in paintings, objects are not separate from space; everything is connected. As she paints, her eyes continually jump from one area to the next, making marks of whatever catches her eye. This allows the painting to work as a whole. She reminds us that if we look at any one thing too long, it will lose its context. She tells us that “A successful painting happens when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.

My Turn to Try: Applying the Lessons Learned

During the workshop, I began to understand that I needed to paint the entire composition rather than focusing on just the model and adding in the background as an afterthought. I tried to find my values and movement from the beginning of my process.
I also tried my hand at finding color harmony and bouncing it around the painting. I made a conscious effort not to paint the model as a separate entity from the background, but to make her part of the whole of the painting and allow values and edges to meld together.

Push Your Boundaries

 

“If you want to create a painting which exceeds your previous expectations, you have to be willing to fail. Make mistakes and experiment; it’s the only way to push past your boundaries.”
-Carolyn Anderson
For me, this last point is the most important of all. I’ll go back to my portrait group armed with a new attitude instead of playing it safe and painting as I’ve always done, I’ll push my limits and be comfortable with some failures. This is the only way I’ll make new discoveries.

I know I would not be the artist I am today without my teaching experience. Teaching art has enriched my life in many ways. Ironically, teaching is something I thought I’d be really dreadful at. As a teen I was a stubborn introvert. Public speaking caused me great anxiety. Although I wanted to improve my art, I remember hating most of my art teacher’s comments. You could even say I was a teacher’s worst nightmare… an unreachable student.
I never had aspirations to teach art, but fate intervened in the form of several women who saw my artwork on exhibit. They approached me and said they needed a person to ‘present a project for the day as an excuse to get together and chat’ (their words not mine) as their current teacher was leaving town. They pestered me until I said ‘yes.’ Thus began my teaching journey about 20 years ago. I was shocked to find I could actually enjoy teaching a class, moreover the students had fun too.
If I can overcome my early obstacles, it is possible for anyone. I currently see about 60 students per week for local classes and conduct travel workshops (US and abroad). Watching students of mine learn and progress into first-rate artists has been a uniquely rewarding experience.

BENEFITS OF TEACHING

• Clarification
  Concepts get clarified in your mind as you teach them to others.
• Reliability
  Predictable income versus art sales that fluctuate.
• Disciplined time to paint.
  No more procrastination. The practice of consistently producing a demo for students (regardless of inspiration or light conditions) has helped me to focus in the studio, and perform faster outdoors for plein air work.
• Travel
  As a teacher all travel expenses get paid for workshops.
• A chance to give back.
  Art is a wonderful thing to share. Artists through the centuries have passed along knowledge student-to-teacher, and many painters feel this is fulfilling part of what it means to be an artist.

STRATEGIES FOR THE BEGINNING TEACHER:

• Volunteering
  Volunteer to teach a class, give a demo or assist (school, senior center, etc.).
• Prepare
  Prepare well to gain confidence. When I first started I would pre-do every demo. I had handouts to get my thoughts organized. I didn’t make much per hour in these early days, as I spent a huge amount of time pre-preparing.
• Start Small
  Teach a friend or relative. Ask for feedback on how the process was for them.
• Remember
  Remember what it felt like to be a student and think about who was a good teacher and who was not. Would you rather “copy from that stack of National Geographics” (as one teacher told me) or would you rather draw from life; and be taught line, shape, and color with varied media? In hindsight, I am grateful I had talented teachers and ones who disappointed me. I learned from both.

CLASS NUTS AND BOLTS – AND WHERE TO GET STUDENTS

• Have a good website.
  List your classes, show examples of your work, and have a bio of accomplishments. Provide a supply list and links to resources.
• Maintain a mailing list.
  Send an email newsletter about upcoming workshops, classes, and exhibits.
• Make Friends
  Affiliate with an art school or art store. Staff will handle enrollment, advertise classes, and have a pre-existing student base. Have a contract so expectations are clear. Schools take a percentage of the tuition.
• Try Something New
  Try a “Sip and Paint” (the instructor shows a final painting, and students follow steps to completion while sipping wine.) I have not done this, but they are popular and it could be a good way to break into teaching. Which brings me to my next point:
• Know your strengths and weaknesses.
  I dislike step-by-step teaching where everyone paints the same image and with the same colors. Instead, I love to paint on-location and to show students how to see and organize what is in front of them.
• What to charge.
  Fees vary widely. Tuition will depend on your experience, your resume, geographical location, travel costs, the current economy, and demand. One way to figure your rate is hourly. A per-head fee is another way to structure tuition. Research fees at local art schools.
• Get your business in order.
  Seek advice from professionals (insurance agent, accountant, etc.). In addition to a business license, an EIN tax number and a business checking account, you should also have a business insurance policy for liability. Make sure your insurance policy covers you overseas if needed. Look into becoming an LLC. Check for any county/residential restrictions or permits. Workshop students should have travel insurance.

APPRECIATE THE ARTISTIC PROCESS

• Embrace mistakes in student art.
  Most students (especially beginners) think they need a lot of one-on-one attention because they are afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are part of the learning process. Encourage independent painting. Don’t hover near the student with instant corrections. Tailor advice to each student based on individual needs.
• Encourage individuality.
  Not all students will want to paint the same thing, or even do your lesson for the day.
• Give your students permission to play.
  Unfortunately, getting ‘a perfect trophy painting’ is often a student’s main goal. Instead, encourage exploration.
• The bottom line.
  Easel-side personalized assistance at intervals in the painting process is more important overall than telling students ‘how to do’ something. Individual advice (artists to look at, ideas to explore, answers to questions) is the best way to have students move forward on their journey in art.

PITFALLS TO AVOID

• Don’t overload students with too much information.
  Break things down into manageable steps. Offer focused ‘tasks for the day’ (i.e., negative shapes, aerial perspective, mixing fall tree colors, etc.). Consider how one lesson might flow into the next to build skills such as: a portrait of a tree (shapes), then aerial perspective for the next lesson (atmospheric color), and a mountain scene for the final lesson putting prior concepts together.
• Have patience.
  As the instructor it is your job to fully understand the concept. Students may be hearing it for the first time. You may have to repeat yourself many times and reinforce the concept with varied examples.
• Don’t do a demo that is too long or too perfect
  (one hour maximum, half hour is better). Show enough to demonstrate a concept, but get students working as soon as possible to reinforce the learning process. Showing how to do a larger painting, or as a ‘long demo’ is OK on occasion.
• Allow proper time
  Students need time to clean up and chit chat as people exit the class.
• Have a cancellation policy.
  If you don’t you may find that you are wasting your time preparing for lessons that do not happen.
• Expect the unexpected.
  I am astonished at the new ways the universe likes to surprise me in class. Try to handle issues such as illness, personality clashes, and equipment snafus with grace. Understand that many students just want to do well in a workshop or class, and strong feelings of anxiety or insecurity can pop up.
• The customer is (almost) always right.
  Don’t forget you are a hired person offering a service. Students have paid for your time and they have a choice with whom to study. Go the extra mile for your students. There are times when you can’t please everyone. Solicit feedback, and listen.
• Ask before touching or correcting a student’s painting.
  Personally, I think we are in a visual line of work, thus a visual correction is a better, faster way of showing a student what to do versus just talking about it. I often paint on student’s paintings. Most students will be fine with it, but a few are not. Respect preferences.

GETTING BETTER

• Continue to learn.
  Rediscover what it’s like to be a student again and take a workshop with an instructor you admire, or try something new. Try to expand your skill set. This will help you teach a wide variety of students. Immerse yourself in the joy of learning. It’s lovely to watch someone else do a demo, critique, lecture, or handle a class problem. Read all you can about art, try out new ideas, visit exhibits.
• Connect with other artists.
  Plein air events, art conventions, and lectures, are great places to share ideas and meet other artists. Take a trip with a few art friends to a museum, or an art-rich environment such as New York City.
• Co-teach a workshop with a friend.
  Share ideas and have fun with only half the responsibility of the teaching load.
• Learn from your students.
  Keep an open mind and you will see that in the end you learn as much from your students as hopefully they learn from you.

I used to think that if I got enough experience I would become ‘a good teacher’ but I realize now that the journey is more important than achieving the goal. We are ALL learning, if we stop there is stagnation and repeating the same thing. The curious brain is one-and-the-same as the artistic brain. This in the end, is how to keep growing as a teacher, to let students see you are still learning and that is the best teaching tool of all.

I’m pleased to present the second part of this special interview withthe Akhriev (Ak-REE-ev) family: Melissa Hefferlin, husband Daud Akhriev, and son Timur.
In Part 1 we learned how Melissa, as a young 20 year old American made her way to Russia to study at the Russian Academy of Fine Art, where she met Daud. We also learned of the extensive training the Russian Government provided for its promising young artists. Daud and Timur are products of that system. All three are multi-talented, speak several languages, are trained in a variety of disciplines, and recipients of many awards. Daud and Timur were big winners in the Oil Painters of America national competition, held earlier this year in Dallas.
The final part of their very interesting interview deals with their diverse cultural and religious differences, how Daud and Melissa met and eventually married, and how their work has influenced the other. Timur shares his first impressions of America.
I know you’ll enjoy this. It’s a great story. Be sure to read Part 1 Here.

Melissa Hefferlin

You and Daud have such diverse backgrounds, both culturally and spiritually; how did you meet and eventually marry?
Daud had friends in my studio at the Academy, and so would sometime enter our studios to meet his friends for lunch. He asked them to invite me to his place for a dinner party, and I was smitten with his larger-than-life sense of humor and passion for painting. I also loved his work even then. He had ten times more of it than any of his colleagues (he was a graduating from the last year of the masters’ degree). I thought then that I’ d love to see him painting in the States with such huge talent, and not struggling to get by in the then-very-broken Soviet Union. Luckily, over the next four months, we spent a LOT of time together, and very quickly were inseparable. At the close of the school year when my time was finished and he was graduated, he accepted my invitation to “visit” me in the States, and we have been together ever since. It’ s true, though his family are Muslims from the Northern Caucasus, and I come from Seventh Day Adventists in Appalachia, we found that the values of hard work, love of family, mutual respect, doing all things to the best of your abilities, and passion for life were powerful overlaps. These overlaps are true for our extended families, too, and I am happy to say that our blended family of mixed heritage now adore one another powerfully. Of course sometime we had misunderstandings, but all families do. I wish more Americans had the opportunity to form bonds with people who seem different from themselves, as it is a powerful opportunity to grow and experience a broader spectrum of human life.

Has Daud’s work influenced what you do, and has your work had an impact on what he does?
Of course working near one another means we absorb something of the other to some degree. Daud most obviously gave me his work ethic, and understanding of the hours necessary to put into a finished studio piece of any profundity. My American education had shown me turning in work which at most had ten hours in it over the course of a week. Now I can spend months on a larger painting, or visit a piece off and on over a year to get it right. Before I lived with Daud, that sort of time expenditure was not within my comprehension. I also continue to learn from both Daud and Timur to be more mindful of composition. I’m an intuitive composer, and they both are much more mindful and methodical and intellectual about their compositions. (Cindy Procious, a painter currently residing in Chattanooga, is another fine sounding board on this matter to me.) While my instincts about composition remain a powerful guide to me, I do enjoy examining my choices from the perspective of Timur and Daud, and tweaking. You didn’t ask me about Timur, but I am now being super inspired by my son, who I think is just on fire. He’s super dedicated to painting things that are true for him, and not necessarily just beautiful. His series called “drifter” uses my nephew as inspiration/ model, and I admire that body of work intensely. Timur’s malcontent view on many modern practices, and on the world handed down to his generation, I find very “true,” and powerful, and I am inspired to do better. I love Timur’s color!!! Damn, that boy is a colorist. With Daud, I know in an obvious way, I gave him pastels. Daud hadn’t ever considered pastel seriously, nor had access to good ones. Now he’s an ace pastel painter, I’m proud to say. Also, when Daud was doing his masters in Russia, he was very monochromatic on purpose. He was wondering, how little color could he use and still say something well. I urged him back into his full spectrum of color. I also sent him out to paint landscape, which he’s thought of as school exercise. He blossomed and changed technically as an artist after a couple of years doing plein air all over the States and Switzerland, wherever generous people let a young couple visit and make art. I really did nudge him to do that, though quickly he took the bit in his teeth.

How would you describe the work you’re doing today?
The purchase of a studio in Spain has given me more time to focus on pieces in an uninterrupted way. I am enjoying exploring still life and figurative pieces more deeply. I have more time to finish things not necessarily more “polished” like Ingres, but more deeply to my liking. Exposure to an entirely new visual culture has been a shot in the arm. I love painting the flamenco friends I have, and the Spanish horse culture. I am really enjoying putting more love into my block printing. My subject matter is divided between still life, which is a real love of mine. I’m attempting to get more soul into still life, so that it’s less decorative and more soulful. And then I am painting lots of horses, riders and flamenco women. These are the things I love, the part of my life which gives me joy. So I want to paint them. I’m enjoying experimenting with glazes in oils, and then switching in the next painting to alla prima brushwork. I’m loving being a middle-aged painter, and having some skill already to where the media works with me, and playing is actually fun versus agony. I’ve also had some wonderful private students, long term students, and working with a new artist is always a fresh examination of what one believes. This has been fortifying.

Daud Akhriev

You were born of liberal Muslim parents and educated under an atheist communist system, have any of your beliefs changed since becoming a US citizen?
I was born into a family which followed traditions of Muslim heritage, but I lived in a village where there were representatives of almost every religion on earth. So living in the USA was very much like the way I was raised. The country being officially atheist did not mean that people were not privately believers, and in our village many people believed in their own home, privately, and the same is true in the USA, but though privacy is not necessary of course. Once being educated, all my best teachers were Jewish or culturally Christian (practicing to a more or less degree). So really, in that particular way, nothing much changed. I think the reason nothing changed in that department began with my first grade teacher, and then again with Zhukov in the children’s art school, I was always taught that “you are just another block building in humanity’s cultural achievement. Your job is to be strong and honest. When a child is so taught and so treated, that is a clear directive, and the atmosphere around the child who later becomes an adult is really not very important.

How would you describe the work you’re doing today?
Multi-faceted. I am doing many things simultaneously right now, all due to travel and the experiences which travel provides me. When I’m able to see different nature, and have new dialogs with artists and musicians and non-artists, I get new ideas for materials and subject matter. In the last two years I was in Italy, Maine, Andalusia, Russia, Morocco, and the countries expose me to so many art forms. There’s always painting. I’m working with oil and tempera now, which helps me to sharpen different skills. Working on a trip in watercolor makes you more direct and fast. Travel paintings I bring to the studio as reference material. I’m also working with clay sculpture, tile designs with drawings in wet clay tile. I still continue with one of my favorite series, called “Weathered People,” using lots of different people from around the world, including many fishermen. Within the “Weathered People” is a subset of paintings called “Wanderers.” I just finished a painting of a wanderer who was a weathered, troubled person who struck out on the road to wander, like a Hindu mystic, and he wandered and was beaten up by the elements, and had adventures, sad, happy and varied, and after years on the road he’s about to arrive home, finally at peace. My wife, Melissa, came in to the studio and made me very happy by saying, “Oh, he’s a peaceful man.” I like this series the best. My piece in the last OPA show was from that series. For the last two years I’ve been making and installing public mosaics. Mosaic helped me a great deal to express my affection for decorative art. It was so freeing to manipulate form in a non-realistic way. I enjoyed making my own ceramic tile for the mosaics, and then combining my tiles with Italian smalti, which are so rich in color and light.
Name three of the most significant things that have made you the artist you are today?
My teachers, my family and my friends. My personal connections set the tone for the artist’s vision. My teachers set the tone of ‘you have to know how to learn.’ They said to me, “Imagine that you are a sponge and collect all that you can, then release what is not useful.” However, you have to collect information first. My family and friends require of me to do what is right. My relationships with them help me discover what the right way is, what topics are important. That helps to shape my course. Perhaps I would add a fourth, the ability to travel. Travel allows me to meet people, see great art, and have conversations, testing what I believe and do…and of course, analysis of all input is essential.

Timur Akhriev

What were your first impressions of the United States?
The United States was great from the first time I ever set foot in this country. It was so different from Russia. I remember driving for the first time through Atlanta, I could not believe myself how amazing everything around me was. And, to this day, whenever I fly back from any place in the world it still feels more like home than any other place. America is a beautiful place.
 
 
 
 

Your work has similar textural qualities to that of your father, and yet in many ways is quite distinctive; how did you achieve your own voice while being surrounded by two strong artists in their own right?
I think we all have our influences that lead us to be who we are as artists. Russian school gave me a great training, but when one has two great colleagues (Melissa Hefferlin and Daud Akhriev) by your side its a great opportunity to learn more. As Akira Kurosawa said, “If you want to be a professional you have to remain a student.” I believe there is no end to how much one can learn and move forward, even if sometimes you feel like you’re standing in the same spot. I don’ t really know if I found my voice yet, I think I’m still searching.
Thank you, Melissa, Daud, and Timur for this wonderful and interesting interview. I and the readers of this blog are appreciative.