Irina Novikova, an artist from Russia, chose the fantasy genre for a reason.
- It gives too much flight of imagination, – she says. And books help Irina to draw
fantasy plots. And this is in our age of computer technology? – Yes, books are an
inexhaustible source of inspiration for me. I can get so carried away by the
characters that after reading … I immediately illustrate the plot I read in my own
way. Reading is my personal drug.
Our interview took place over the phone, it was unexpected, spontaneous, without
preparation. It was incredibly interesting.
… I found my cup of coffee completely cold.
Irina is a professional artist, she received an art education and graduated from the
Institute of Culture, she is constantly improving and continues her creative
education.
- From materials, I prefer oil and gouache, as opposed to each other. Oil dries for a
long time and meticulously, and gouache is impetuous, I call it “fast material”, it is
indispensable for drawing.
Yes, pictures and illustrations for Irina are her life, this is her every painted day …
I would like to consider my work for a long time, to study the details that the
author puts together like a magnificent mosaic into a single whole. Everything here
is thought out to the smallest detail, the nuances of light and color, the ratio of
images – Irina’s paintings are already stories in themselves, and deeply artistic, not
superficial, they carry an idea and ways of understanding it. The choice of emotion
is up to the viewer. It is for the viewer that the artist leaves reflections, somewhere
riddles, somewhere, on the contrary, unexpected plot clues.
Irina Novikova has held more than 50 personal exhibitions in different cities. As
Irina herself said, she stopped counting their number since 2017. Invitations to
cooperation follow one after another – Irina illustrates books, covers of music
albums, was a jury member at cosplay festivals in the nominations “art” and “fan
art”. At the same time, she finds time to participate in creative projects that are
close to her in spirit. Most recently, she took part in the Moscow project “JIN”, in
which she successfully “painted” poems, as it was conceived – the authors
combined their creativity in the artistic design of poetry.
She is accompanied by success. Luck accompanies her. Her works are in demand
not only in Russia, but also abroad. Irina’s paintings are also in private collections
in the USA. It is too multifaceted to write about it shortly. I asked Irina about her favorite artists, about those whom she considers her teachers and patrons. Irina gave me a huge list of names and surnames … Among them were not only artists, but also writers. For her, this is a single world of creativity, where literature and drawing are intertwined with invisible, but very strong relationships. Perhaps they are even interdependent for the artist.
Irina, do you know what I want to tell you? – your work is “super-professional”!
And finally, I will ask an equally important question – do you like to drink coffee?
- Certainly! And even very much!
