Nataliya Bagatskaya

What inspires you?

I paint what I see. I live in a big city. On my way home, I saw two paper cups on the facing panel of the beauty salon, someone had just drank coffee there and left them, and on the cups there was a picture with the inscription "life in a big city". How not to embody this on canvas?

Describe your creative process.

Creating a picture in hyperrealism is a meditative state of mind where there are no thoughts or emotions. The body is making movement, but consciousness is not there. I am at the same time the one who paints, and what is in the process of creation, and a material from which the painting will be created. It lasts about an hour, then your consciousness comes back, you look at what you have done, and you are surprised that it was done by you. And so on until the painting is finished.

What are 3 words that best describe your work?

Observation. Perfectionism. Harmony.

Who are some artists that have influenced your work?

There is such an artist. His name is Ivan Marchuk. Even when I have a funk, it is enough just to stand next to him, hear his pep talk, and I am already full of energy. His paintings are something unrealistic and fantastic, where I don't understand how you can even do it - so complex are his artworks. For me this is the upper limit of perfection and I am very proud that I know him personally.

What is the most important tool when creating your work?

The most important tool when for creating my work is brush.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

The best piece of advice I have been given: "Move away from banal plots".

Where do you go for inspiration?

I don't go anywhere for inspiration, it is at every step, it is in the surrounding world. I'm just watching him. I'm not making up compositions. They are created by themselves, and I either have a desire to paint them or not. And, if the desire has arisen, then this is the will of the universe.