Fields, Saints & Magic

As a child, playing outdoors, running around fields & pretending to be heroes, animals, creatures and other magnificent things, reality and imagination truly intertwined. The pieces below attempt to create an immersive environment, blurring the lines between the majestic, spiritual and natural realities, bringing to light the more pressing realistic issues that address the future of our surroundings and the environment.

The sky rejoices at the sight of repopulated habitats. Spirits and animals co-exist in chaotic harmony. Hidden behind layers of the engrossed composition, a figure is kneeling to drink from a brook. The ‘Fields, Saints & Magic’ series started after I completed an unusually large composition, this sparked interest in a more figurative or story-telling direction.

‘Tea For Three or The Picnic’, is a homage to the medieval icon The Trinity. Instead of the traditional sacrificial calf, the angelic trio is having a celebration with cake tea and fruits. I’ve adapted this because, in a way, this is a personal piece. Originally, The Trinity depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, to deliver the news of Sarah’s miraculous and long awaited pregnancy. I made a personal reference to my own life by changing the centre of the composition to something more festive and joyous, the birth of my son.

Bellow, pieces serve as a pastiche of the larger works, operating as an extension or individual study of the characters and recurring themes that dominate the larger works. Each pieces is a complete work in its own right and as a series they tell the greater story.

to view the entire series in detail please click here

CONVERSATIONS WITH MATISSE

What started as me going through some old art books in search of inspiration, while at home on lockdown, grew into a journey of experimentation and slowly into new series of work. When in search of ideas revisiting vintage catalogues has always been my favourite exercise. I came across Matisse’s paper cut outs which sparked a desire to incorporate elements of decorative and cheerful manner into my monochromatic monotypes.  As I was working on these new paper pieces I was also looking at Japanese 80’s posters designs. I admire the Japanese ability to constantly reinvent their traditional aesthetics of reserved compositions and colourful broad geometric shapes. Borrowing from what is essentially paper graphic arts of simplified shapes, cut outs and colourful rhythm I created a hybrid of my own. Beginning with a line drawing or an imprint of a big bold shape I continued to add layers and textures spraying paint, smudging crayons and scribbling energetic pastel lines, working my way through the compositions which morphed into abstract landscapes. While the result is a remote reference to its name, this series begun as a cerebral conversation with Matisse, aiming to marry broad large considered shapes with expressive spontaneous energetic mark making converting it into a colourful visual landscape collages. One of the submitted pieces is named “Etoile over Nice”, the   idea of a bold star in the night sky with colours inspired by the Mediterranean landscape of the Côte d’Azur where Matisse spend his final years. To view the whole series click here.

PALE TROPICS & VIVID FORMATIONS

Pale tropics and vivid formations is my new series created during these strange times we are all going through. It’s probably the first serious crisis global crisis our generation has experienced and no one knows what tomorrow will bring however life must go on. The works below are my testimony to just that; Things emerge, hope is retained, seasons change and the world keeps turning. 

The pieces below started as abstract monotypes on 22 X 28 paper, which is all that was available from nearby supply shops. From the initial imprint, layers of other material were added such as spray paint, markers, soft and oil pastels. These additional media helped to create depth of field and a sense of vitality. Inspired by the approaching spring, I wanted something bright and vivid. I used up all of my Indian yellow, ochere, terra-cotta and warm pastels. Cooler colors such as cobalt blue, were smeared on on top to off set and balance the warmth. 

The series is still in the process of “becoming”, and so are the compositions. Some of the pieces are more abstract and others have figures in them. Some are complete and others will be reworked and hopefully improved. This is an ongoing theme in my work, sometimes I complete a work in one go at other times I come back and rework parts of it adding more information. To see the whole series click here. 

BLUE, HAZE & LEMONS

Blue, Haze and Lemons is a spontaneous series completed throughout March 2020. Since 2016, I’ve been living and working abroad and returning to Toronto only for the occasional family visit. When I come back, I treat my time almost as if it is an art residency, I set myself a creative goal and base my work around it, allowing for lucky accidents and opportunities to evolve naturally. This time was no exception, the only difference is that now I am a mother of a beautiful baby boy who has taken over my world with painting sessions becoming a rare gift which I cherish dearly. Since I have very little time to plan and pre sketch, most of my preliminary work is done inside my mind with my eyes closed. In the very short time that I have, I attempt to take a metaphorical leap of faith and just go for it. Navigating through my vocabulary of mark-making, essentially working blind and having to guess extensively in the process. This of course, means a lot of failures & disappointments but also exciting discoveries. Due to the city being quarantined, I have simply stayed home and focussed purely on new work and have had to get by with what materials I have available. I love how spray paint emulsifies itself onto monotype shapes of color pigments, smeared with oil and chalk pastels, scribbles and rakish lines. Below are two of my favourite pieces, you can view all of them by clicking here.

DENIM SMOG & PULP, oil monotype & mixed media on paper, 22 X 32 inches, 2020 INQUIRE HERE

FLUTTER SKY, oil monotype & mixed media on paper, 21 X 32 inches, 2020 BUY IT HERE

How to paint freely

Good painting is all about speed. This is something I realized back in the day when doing my apprenticeship at the classical arts academy. The first few minutes, even seconds of painting is what will make it or be the kiss of death. This notion is especially true when you look at the under paintings (washes) of representational art, immediately you can tell what was done with passion and energy and what looks like it’s been waffled. I think this is partially why I begun to do more abstract work. When you work fast you got no time to over analyze, doubt and create problems, and this is precisely when magic begins to happen. This does not mean that there is no thinking involved, it simply means that all the thinking and planning is done before and once you start to paint you know (intuitively) where you are headed.

How to paint ‘freely’ is something I understood only later on in life. I noticed that when I painted from observation, the best works were those which were done on a wimp, fast and almost by accident. As soon as I focused too much it never worked out. And this is how I realized that all the intense thinking happens when I need to draw or figure out the tonal pattern (black and white), but when I paint and use color I did not need it. In fact, the more loosen up I was the better it looked. How do you know it’s good? The simple answer is, when a piece turns out good everyone wants it. It speaks and resonates with the majority. This is how I understood that good painting should come easy, if you sweat it out something is wrong, either you have no idea what you want to say or you did not plan it well enough.

Another realization of mine was mistakes, if you realized what they are can be the best thing that ever happened to you. But to make mistakes one has to work a lot and work freely. Constrains will not lead you anywhere, and neither will theory. All the breakthroughs happen at the tip of the brush.

Another important realization for painting and drawing is using our eyes correctly. When drawing, we need to squint at the object and this helps eliminating the unnecessary details and leave the essentials which are the tonal contrast, main shapes and masses. When painting we should do the opposite, we should pick on the color we see with our peripheral vision and try to mix it up as base. That average color which seems too neutral is what will eventually help us figure out the entire canvas correctly.

Finally, painting is all about relationships. what I mean by relationships is how elements interact with each other, in short they need to work. If you managed to get one relationship right consider this a success, as you can capitalize on that. This could be two correct tonal relationships, masses, color combinations, proportions. The above applies not only to representational painting but also abstract. Proper abstract is a reaction to what is seen and felt minus the familiar shapes and tonal differences. Essentially the challenge is the same; the main idea is creating an illusion of depth and life on a two dimensional surface. The first emphasizes drawing while the second approach color and texture but the aim remains the same. Have fun creating :)!

photo by Daria Perev

New Works On Paper

There really is no end to painting. I constantly look out for new ideas, shapes and color combinations. Some mixtures and combinations work better than others like old-time proof recipes. Others, are one of a kind stand alone versions that won’t be replicated.

My main color is payne’s gray . I love it because it is neither blue nor black and yet both. I love to wear it and I love to work with it as it’s temperature is cool enough to compliment any warm bright color on the color wheel such as hot pink, or other favorite Indian yellow. As well it always works equally well with neutrals like raw siena and yellow ochre.

My work narrates my emotional experiences. If I’m feeling sad even the brightest colors won’t hide it - It will show through. The ups and downs of my life are all documented on paper. Sometimes, I create one composition and that becomes enough to let all my feeling and emotions out and close the chapter. At other times, I explore ideas and experiences I’m going through via a short series of pieces. When I gather this momentum, I try to act fast as I know they these emotions won’t last forever. The summer 2019 series is a set of works I did while visiting family in Toronto, and it is all about that. Thoughts and feelings associated with that time, they’re very personal and intimate and yet universal. Bellow are selected 8 new pieces I’ve created in my garage studio, where I used my signature colors alongside a few new, fresh recipes. For inquiries hello@nellytsyrlin.com
Big thank you to DARIA for documenting my process. Your are extremely talented!

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Garage Mural

Last week I finally painted my first mural. Since it wasn’t a commission I could pretty much do anything I wanted. The freedom and excitement you feel as an artist is doubled when opportunities like this come along, and I could not wait to throw myself into it. I found It was not as easy as I originally thought it would be. What started off as a freestyle chance to splash some paint on a wall soon turned into my next big venture into installation and site specific painting. Wow...but where do you start and how do you translate a space into a painting? Working on this mural was really eye opening. It was no longer just a flat surface. There were obstacles - outlets, pre-existing texture, hight and an unfriendly base color. Instead of working around these moments I wanted to include them in my composition. Ultimately, these elements translate a sense of energy that the space embodied. With repect to concept and composition, I wanted my mural to be playful, happy and easy to read. Complex mixtures can seem confusing and heavy . I wanted to keep it clean, flat, almost like paper cut-outs overlaying each other. While working on this piece, I thought about the energy constantly pulsing through the city and the its various pattern therein. Toronto can feels like a collage of shapes, hemmed in by highways and rivers. The mural reflects this concept. Murals can have a powerful effect on a viewer. They invite you the guests to stay a little longer and appreciate the space. I kept that in mind and tried to think objectively.

After I completed the mural, I was really concerned about how I was going to go back to my regular practice of working on paper. I realize now that there are challenges with both and the fundamental idea in both is to activate a flat surface and bring a sense of life to it. What I love about my art practice is that it never ends and there is a constant sense of surprise and discovery. I never know what is next and every piece holds a chance to learn something new. Nothing is too precious and fortunate accidents help me to refine my technique further.

From Mind to Paper

What I do for a living  is very strange. I spend hours creating semi abstract images on paper that reflect moments and feelings. Sometimes inspiration hits hard and I start getting ideas out of nowhere in my mind and the urge to put it on paper is a priority. The past few weeks where exactly that. I was so mesmerized by the blooming spring, although spring lasts about 15 minutes nowadays it was enough time to take it all in and produce fresh work.

For those of you who might be visit Saint Petersburg, you can pop into an amazing place called Demetra Art Hotel, aside from being a heritage building and a romantic getaway spot, they have my new collection hanging in their art gallery for display until August. Thank you guys!

Reflecting

Over the past year I’ve discovered for myself a new way of painting, which involves working on paper rather than canvas. I’ve grown found of it and developed  a strong level of comfort doing so.  Working on paper rather than canvas is somehow less fragile and there is an element of  lightness to it and the results look more effortless.

I also realized that my work is both about thinking and feeling at the same time. Drawing is mostly thinking, where i plan the shapes out and overall composition. Colour is mostly intuitive and depends a lot on the mood and feelings of the moment. Learning to switch between thinking and feeling at the right time is a recipe for success!

Conceptually, I'm still very much drawn to various feminine images, incorporating fashion elements and trends into my recent series, creating a body of work with a unified aesthetic.

Special thanks to Sokos hotel in Saint Petersburg for showcasing my most recent works  at your premises this weekend.

Please feel free to contact me I will gladly respond.  Say hello@nellytsyrlin.com

Shades of Grey

This past week I was entirely absorbed in the studio production in search for that perfect shade of grey. Grey is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic colour, meaning literally that it is a colour "without colour”. Grey can be cool or of warm depending on the added hue. Adding little red will make a warmer grey, and adding a little blue will make for a cooler silver grey.

I like to deal with grey pallet both in direct painting and in my printmaking practice. Grey is defiantly the most complex colour to deal with as it is easy to turn it into muddy choky looking colour which kills painting. At the same time grey is the one that has the most potential, with its infinite shades. I learned that the intensity of any colour will depend on the amount of grey around it. The supportive role of grey is fascinating, it sets the stage for other colours to sing.