A large part of my life I lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, where I got inspired by the art seen in the Hermitage and the Russian National Museum. In St. Petersburg I attended schools for Law, Financial Management, and Economics. Only in US, while studying Fashion Design, I by a chance discovered passion and ability to create my own artwork in 2003.
When I became an artist myself, from the beginning, I naturally preferred painting portraits & figurative subjects. My first work consisted mostly of Photorealistic paintings and drawings, but lately I explored new styles and techniques.
Unlike most photorealistic artists, I prefer to paint in oils using traditional brushes, rather then airbrush. I think that painting with brushes is more direct contact between my hand and a canvas, which allows me to apply more of my energy and emotions into my work. It is important for me to capture expressions and emotions in a single moment out of someone’s life.
Currently I am working on the body of work “Black & White Memories” based on the photographs taken by my father during my childhood in the time of Soviet Union. This is a collection of Black & White photorealistic paintings.
I tend to employ a hidden narrative in my artwork without making it obvious to a viewer. My hope is that, by looking at my paintings, viewers will be able to shut off the world around them and enter a different world behind the canvas.
- Tatiana Zank
For more information on Tatiana Zank and a gallery of her paintings, please visit her web site at www.tatianazank.com
