Fisherman#2 Print

I portrait ordinary people with extraordinary beauty inside. The beauty that each of us hides in ourselves, but only sometimes allows others to see. This happens when we forget about the world, about others, about ourselves. We stop pretending and posing, let thoughts run freely. These are the times when we are ourselves. I watch people and wait as they lose their vigilance being lost in their thoughts, and reveal their true selves. This moment is the subject of my work. Every day we pass hundreds of people, hundreds of faces that we never pay attention to. We move away from each other in an anonymous crowd. We are afraid of glances, we are restricted by contact with other people. At the same time, we miss conversation, closeness, and interest. I want to overcome this barrier. I want to look at another person without embarrassment and shame. Remember them and listen to the story they tell. I paint to get closer to a real human being in an anonymous crowd. I am most fascinated with elderly people, plowed with wrinkles, who have great peace and a great distance to the world. They don't have to prove anything to anyone. Their faces tell beautiful stories. In my art, I combine painting and documentary photography. I paint portraits based on photos taken from hiding, or in such a way that the model forgets about my existence. I have to be invisible. Equally important is the choice of materials that I use for painting. I combine the classic technique of oil painting with the use of recycled materials. Instead of canvas, I choose cardboard - a second choice material, often found in the trash. And on it, with reverence, I capture the essence of the model. Everyday life and ordinariness are transformed into truth and beauty.