ARINA’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNIVERSE 2
ARINA ARTISTE ! Part Two. As promised, here is the continuation of Arina’s story and the power of a dream.
Arina, thank you for participating in this project. Without further ado, let’s continue from last week with question six (6).
No. 6) Under what conditions do you do your best work?
Well…first of all, I don’t really know which of my works are the best – they are all equal for me. I work on all of them equally, which means I am always trying to do my best and put my soul and inspiration into all of my works. I guess that I am a kind of ‘psychic perfectionist’ – I torture myself with a challenge to achieve the highest level possible in my work.
I work on a painting until I am almost satisfied with the result of my labour. Why almost? Because perfection is something that has no end, I would say it is an endless challenge, so I am never totally satisfied with any of the works I have ever done. I am sure that many of the artists perfectly know what I mean by this and often feel the same. Moreover I believe that this is exactly what it means to be a creative person, whether you are an artist, a musician, a writer or a poet – to be never satisfied with your creations, with your work, and being destined for the challenge to achieve perfection…
Sometimes I work on a painting on one breath and feel like a bird flying, but
sometimes in a middle of work I feel that I have to leave it for a while, because the work is stuck at some point, then I come back to it, look at it with refreshed eyes and only then I can finish it. I know that many of my friends, artists, do the same. Inspiration is never guarantied and in my opinion, creative condition is an endless exploration and an endless process of finding your subject and yourself, an endless process of catching an inspiration and a dream – I would say, catching a Phoenix Bird in a sky…
I think that this is a normal creative process and creative condition.
No. 7) Do you identify with your subject and if so on what level?
I believe that any creativity is a matter of finding and expressing your own identity through your works. I guess that I bring some of my personality into my works anyway, even while portraying somebody, because it is still my own perception of that person – my feelings and my attitude towards him or her. Is it an identity with the subject? I am not sure in this case, but it is certainly my personal attitude towards the subject.
I believe that my inspiration and my main subject is human spirit, feelings 
and emotions, something that cannot be seen in a mirror. I am trying to express something that can be called a ‘litmus paper’ of the inner self. Of course, I lean on my own life experience in my work – all the images I depict are germinated from my own perception of the world. This is why I mainly use my own face as a model for my paintings – I express what I want to convey into my work within my face through my own imagination and life experience.
But, therefore, my works are not identical to me, they are not self-portraits. There isn’t my red hair and my blue eyes for example. My ‘Trinity’ is not a triple self-portrait, but a portrait of the main three spiritual conditions of a human being – the Light Spirit, the Dark Spirit and the Pure Spirit that keeps the essential balance between all of them. I am challenged to explore Universal subjects in my work that can be related to all human beings. However, in my opinion, there is a whole Universe behind any human face, but nevertheless I would like to consider that my work is not a traditional portraiture, but rather a performance of movements of the human spirit.
I intentionally restrict myself with colours in my work and my paintings are mainly black and white monochrome, which enables me to provide anonymity of the images I am working with. I position an image in a middle of nowhere without any recognizable signs of any given time or place, or any other particular characteristics. Anything which interacts within the minds of beholders can be imagined behind the images on my paintings, any centuries, countries, any eye or hair colours or no hair at all – it depends on your own perception of the world and your own imagination.
Therefore, by involving the imagination of the people viewing my works I
would like to believe that my paintings immerse them in the creative process, encouraging them to produce their own creative energy – and I hope so much that it is a positive one. This creative circle gives me, as an artist, an opportunity to interact energetically with all the people who have seen my works. So I would assume that my identity is always behind my paintings, as well as a positive creative energy. Well, I hope that it is.
No. 8) Does painting help you connect with your higher self, whatever that is for you?
This is a deep and interesting question…I think there cannot be any unequivocal answer here, as there are so many different layers in the meaning of ‘higher self’. But if to relate it to matter of art and claim the ‘higher self’ as an inspired higher condition of your spirit and mind during a creative process, then yes, it does!
Also I think that attaining a ‘higher self’ can be claimed as a purpose in life, achieving your ambitions and goals that move your spirit to do something useful and inspiring while your physical body inhabits here, on Earth. I hope that I can assume my purpose in art as bringing beauty within my creativity and this is why I widely use the colour red in my work – as a symbol of the Beauty. I have never thought about it before in this context, but thanks to your question, now I believe that ‘the red’ in my work can symbolise my ‘higher self’ as well.
‘Red’ has a deep meaning for me and I widely explored this subject in my MA Fine Art dissertation. It took several weeks to investigate what ‘red’ has contributed to different cultures and art. I love to talk about ‘red’, it is an inspiring and contradictive subject – it has multiple meanings and I suppose can be discussed for hours. The meaning of ‘red’ has also changed through the centuries if to remember how many red haired women were burned alive in a fire in the dark Middle Ages as witches. I am personally glad to admit that nowadays this attitude towards ‘redheads’ has changed a little bit and I still have a chance to keep painting, despite of the fact that I am a ‘redhead’ and painting for me is still a kind of witchcraft.
If to be serious, I can briefly say that in many cultures ‘red’ means passion and love, also it is a colour of blood and danger, revolution etc., but blood is an essential substance for human life. In Tibetan philosophy it means connection with the Universe, connection with everyone and everything at the all levels of the entire world. In Russian language, particularly in folk and fairy tales, often the word ‘red’ equates to the word ‘beautiful’, for example this adjective was traditionally used to describe the sun – ‘the red sun’ ). What can be more vital for life and more beautiful than the Sun? No wonder that almost all the ancient religions declared the Sun as God, creator of the Light and Life.
I believe that images and objects, which have been created with passion, can take an immense power that is sometimes found in religious art, the powerful energy that has an ability to alter one’s mental state and even transform reality. One of the world famous Russian writers Fyodor Dostoevsky said ‘Beauty will save the World’. We all create the world around us and all of us have an opportunity and possibility to bring this beauty to the world – and all the creative people in particular! Artists are privileged and honoured to be able to create beautiful and inspiring art works. The more positive and hopeful art objects created today – the better the world will be to live in tomorrow.
Beauty will Save the World and Art is this powerful tool to bring the Beauty
to the World – to save it!
Thank you so much for sharing with us your thoughts, feelings and talent in this fascinating article. I wish you well in all your endeavours and until our paths cross again, be blessed!
TO THE READER :
We hope you have enjoyed this amazing story and invite you to visit Arina’s links to get to know her even more. Your comments are truly appreciated, thank you. Enjoy!
TRINITY, paintings by ARINA IN THE FILM BY Aleksandra Kabakova
http://www.youtube.com/user/lexihastra#p/a/u/1/kpFpfaHY8Ww
SILENCE, OPUS paintings by ARINA in the film by Aleksandra Kabakova
http://www.youtube.com/user/lexihastra#p/a/u/0/0IvTA0E0FTo
THE FACE OF ARINA, paintings by ARINA in the film by Aleksandra Kabakova
http://www.youtube.com/user/lexihastra#p/u/3/6q2r7uWS0tw
www.ARINA.uk.com
www.facebook.com/ARINA.paintings
www.youtube.com/watch?v=12vxWf6GnDI
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Comments
Thank you again for your interesting and insightful article. I enjoyed reading both parts immensely.
Arina is a fascinating artist. I take great inspiration from reading her thoughts and philisophy. She is truly a rising star.
My only criticism is not of her, but the awful purple on black that some buffoon has decided to be the colours on this site….my eyes can’t take anymore.
Peace and Art
Helen
x
omg, i love these. you have a real talent. you need to sell your art so that the puiblc can oogle over your talent! great work-
That’s the thinking of a creative mind
I don’t mind hair or gnats or whatever gets into paint. When I noctie some, it just makes me grin, because I am seeing a bit of the artist’s life.I had a Labrador who shed constantly, no matter how often she was brushed. I gave in and started using her fur deliberately. I would grab a hunk and smear it right in with the paint for texture. I don’t do that anymore, because she has passed, and the current Lab has a finer coat which hardly sheds at all.
Nearly all of whatever you mention happens to be supprisingly accurate and that makes me wonder the reason why I hadn’t looked at this with this light previously. This article really did turn the light on for me as far as this specific topic goes. Nevertheless at this time there is one particular factor I am not really too comfy with and while I try to reconcile that with the main theme of your position, allow me see just what all the rest of your readers have to say.Nicely done.
Deep thinking – adds a new dimension to it all.
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