Artist Statement:

I often notice human reactions in unusual situations. I find myself studying emotions: how people read facial expressions, how we respond to others. Study of psychology always pushes my work – painting has to mean something to the viewer, to tell a story. Focusing on facial expression I montage drawings creating something different. Sometimes they are based on the photos I take. I think that colour complements drawing so powerfully, it has to be carefully chosen. Medieval artists always inspired me. Magister Theodoricus (XIV c.) is one of my favourite artists. I tried to reinvent his techniques. Modern materials offer quicker solutions but results do not look even close to the medieval artistry. Combination of techniques creates illusion of another time, but figures look rather modern. Ideally, I would like to make figures more expressive.

I see the role of art as creation of colourful imaginative objects that evoke positive emotions, remind us of kindness we might have forgotten. The greatest challenge in this world is to do something good that could be shared with other people. Faces of our friends, of people around us reflect our mood. Emotions spread like infection. Sad face creates another face of sorrow. I highlight expressions, hoping to see many more smiling faces.

Diana Krilova