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ARTEMISSE: Tell us a little about yourself and what you do as an artist and designer. What is the name of the direction you work in?
IRINA: My name is Irina, and I am an artist and designer. I live in Italy, not far from the beautiful city of Florence. I offer the creation of unique paintings that perfectly match the concept and style of interiors. Each painting is created individually, with careful attention to size, shape, materials, and color.
ARTEMISSE: What materials do you use in your work? Do you have any favorite techniques?
IRINA: In my paintings, I use a mix of materials: textured paste, acrylic, gold leaf, and epoxy resin. I love minimalism and the smooth lines of bas relief. I also adore the Art Deco style and the combination of black and gold.
ARTEMISSE: Do you work in a studio, or do you create your pieces in other places? How does this affect your process?
IRINA: At the moment, I create my paintings at home, where I have a small studio. This is convenient for me because I have two young children, and my presence is important for them. In the future, of course, I dream of having a studio with beautiful panoramic windows and a view of the Brunelleschi's dome.
ARTEMISSE: How has your profession influenced your choice of techniques and your unique style?
IRINA: Before I found my path in art, I was designing and decorating interiors. I was drawn to minimalism—spatial freedom, with minimal furniture and accessories. This approach transitioned into my paintings. I never use more than three colors. I enjoy line art, where a single continuous line creates a unique composition.
ARTEMISSE: How do you think the art world has changed in recent years?
IRINA: It has become broader. Now, anything can be art if there is a solid concept behind it. Sometimes contemporary art shocks, sometimes it inspires, and sometimes it even disgusts, but in any case, it evokes emotions. I believe the main pursuit now is exactly this—eliciting an emotional response from the viewer. With the advent of social media, there are now many opportunities for contemporary artists. It's easier to promote your art now. Artificial intelligence and neural networks have also emerged. Many artists find inspiration here and create sketches of their paintings. Whether this is good or bad, we will see in the near future.
ARTEMISSE: What inspires you? Do you have a favorite artist?
IRINA: When I was studying interior design at university, I was inspired by the works of architect Zaha Hadid. I still admire her to this day. She was able to transform the smoothness of lines into volume. Her works truly seem to be from the future. Among artists, my absolute favorite is Sandro Botticelli. I can spend hours examining his meticulously detailed paintings, which carry deep meaning. As for contemporary artists, it's hard to name one...
I like the work of Kim Weber, Jane Puylagarde and Leonid Kim
ARTEMISSE: What are your plans for the upcoming year? Are there any projects you dream of?
IRINA: I’ve been creating paintings relatively recently—only for two years—but already I’ve received many requests for an online course. So, one of my major plans is to launch the course. I also want to participate in several exhibitions in Europe.
ARTEMISSE: What advice would you give to aspiring artists and designers who dream of developing in this field?
IRINA: Develop your unique style. Uniqueness is the key to great success. Use modern technologies. Don’t be afraid of them or dismiss them—study them, and you’ll have the advantage of being the first. Actively incorporate this knowledge into your art.
Use social media as a powerful tool for promotion. It’s important to be everywhere—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest—use all platforms.
Be open, attend professional events and exhibitions. There, you can make many valuable connections and, of course, find inspiration.
Study new art techniques; this will give you freedom of expression and may help you in creating your own distinctive style.
ARTEMISSE: Do you have a favorite project that stands out to you? Why is it important to you?
IRINA: Definitely. Let me share a little backstory.
I taught at the Russian Cultural Center in Florence, where I conducted modern painting workshops for both adults and children. One of my students later became my client. She owns a chain of hotels in Florence, but she asked me to create a painting for her home. She told me a phrase that was very meaningful to me as a budding artist: "Irina, I want your artwork to decorate my interior." I think hearing something like that is important and rewarding for any artist.
After agreeing on the details, I started working on the piece. The painting had to be very volumetric, monochrome, and cover almost an entire wall. The main challenges I faced were the size—2 by almost 3 meters—which created difficulties with weight and transportation. The painting had to be volumetric, yet made of textured paste, which added a lot of weight. I had to choose lighter materials.
Another challenge was moisture resistance. Italy has a very humid climate, and over time, almost all canvases on wooden stretcher bars become warped due to moisture. So, I had to reinforce the canvas and apply many layers of primer. Creating the painting took a month and a half of daily work. But despite all the challenges, the client was satisfied. And that’s the best result.
ARTEMISSE: How do you find the balance between client orders and realizing your own ideas?
IRINA: I always create paintings in stock, to use as samples, and in these cases, I implement my own ideas. With clients, we create many sketches and choose the optimal option that we both like. If my tastes are drastically different from the client's, I don't take on those orders. I can create anything, but the result has to be something I like as well.
ARTEMISSE: What difficulties do you face during your work process, and how do you overcome them?
IRINA: The main challenge for every artist is emotional burnout. This happens when you work in an active mode without rest. The solution is taking breaks and going on a small trip—any change of scenery helps.
IRINA: Finding clients is also a challenge. Every country has its own characteristics, and it’s important to study them well—mentality, tastes, interior design, climate. All of this must be considered when creating paintings. Otherwise, the artwork will collect dust on your shelves for years.
For example, the mentality influences how people are accustomed to buying art and where. In Italy, not everyone likes purchasing paintings online. People prefer to see them in person. So, having a studio or gallery here is a big advantage.
Tastes also vary depending on the region. In the north, people appreciate minimalism and modern styles more, in the central part, classic paintings and subjects are valued, and in the south, eclecticism is preferred. Climate is crucial when working with various materials. For example, I love working with epoxy resin, but in Italy, it's almost impossible. To achieve the perfect result, you need warm, dry weather, which only happens here in the middle of summer.
ARTEMISSE: Irina, thank you for sharing your insights and creative philosophy with us today. It’s inspiring to hear how you approach storytelling and design with such passion and depth. We can’t wait to see what you create next!
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