ARTIST STATEMENT
Drawing began to interest me from an early age, the first subjects for me were fantastic birds and animals. By my first education I am an art critic (State Academy of Slavic Cultures), by the second I am a graphic designer (MGTA).
The main techniques that I use are watercolor, ink, gouache, and acrylic. I love experimenting and mixing different materials. I draw a lot on environmental topics. The first big series that I drew is the Red Book, dedicated to rare and endangered species of animals and birds.
I make illustrations, invent various creatures and stories for them, draw nature and portraits. I like to do whole line drawings, composing the composition in my head first. I am inspired by baroque music and black and white films. Lately I’ve been leaning more and more towards symbolism.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Irina Tall (Novikova) is an artist, graphic artist, and illustrator. She graduated from the State Academy of Slavic Cultures with a degree in art, and earned her bachelor’s degree in design.
Her first exhibition “My soul is like a wild hawk” (2002) was held at the museum of Maxim Bagdanovich. In her work, she addresses themes of ecology. In 2005 she devoted a series of works to the Chernobyl disaster. In addition she creates work on anti-war topics. The first big series she created was The Red Book, dedicated to rare and endangered species of animals and birds.
Irina writes fairy tales and poems in addition to illustrating short stories. She draws various fantastic creatures: unicorns, animals with human faces, she especially likes the image of a man – a bird – Siren.
Her work has been published in magazines: Gupsophila, Harpy Hybrid Review, Little Literary Living Room and others. In 2020, she took part in Poznań Art Week. In 2022, her short story was included in the collection “The 50 Best Short Stories”, and her poem was published in the collection of poetry “The wonders of winter”.
© Irina Tall Novikova