Comment by corry kooy on January 4, 2011 at 11:18am

Beautiful! So you like pastels too?

Comment by Nika Zakharov on January 4, 2011 at 1:02pm

Thanks Corry. Yes, I do. I generally prefer them for plein air work.

Comment by Gary Hilton Walker on January 5, 2011 at 8:06am

Lovely pastel Nika – Field at dusk, it’s not garish, your work here similar to Wolf Kahn’s, a pastellist I like tremendously - have learnt a lot from his books ;) Your pastels know just when to finish and not overdo, vibrant strokes like that are as English plein air painter David Curtis says “more enduring - strokes with a sense of urgency and certain roughness, giving the impression that the painter was in a heightened state of anticipation and expectation working positively towards the end result”. It also leaves something for the viewer to ‘fill in’, a characteristic I am told that most buyers adore, it is said most don’t like too much detail.

 

I also like your graphite drawings; Savannah alley, Palm trees. It’s an artist’s drawings that show their real talent; they can’t be fudged like painting, drawings more than painting show with a more personal (graphology) with a linea approach, the mirror to a painter’s soul. Your lines placed with ease but sureness, different line thickness and variation of darkness always improves any drawing. ;)

Comment by Nika Zakharov on January 5, 2011 at 8:50pm

Thanks for such a tremendous comment, Gary! I do like Wolf Khans work and even went to hear him speak last year. He's a genius of not over-detailing his landscapes and it seems it didn't come to him right away, judging from his early work. What I'm saying is that there's hope for all of us:)

Yes, I think it's important to leave things out that the viewer can "fill in". That's how our brain is wired to work, to make sense out of chaos. When we're presented with a puzzle of a painting, we feel "rewarded" when we resolve it and therein lies the attraction of such an approach.

Comment by robert spannring on January 8, 2011 at 1:38am

YEP YEP!! I agree Gary with your compliments.....and Nika, your statement,  leave certain elements out......invites the viewer to discover. What a Great Reward! AH

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