Eugene , it is believed that creative people are owls who like to sleep in the morning. And you, apparently, are an early bird. After all, before our morning meeting, and still have time to work?
I really get up at five in the morning. At the same time I go to bed at twelve at night. I sleep very little and have been accustomed to such a regime for a long time. Usually, early in the morning, I go to the workshop. It turns out that up to eleven hours I have the opportunity to paint. And then, when everyone wakes up, calls and meetings begin. Do you paint every day? And what about inspiration? Or is it already up to date on your schedule and coming up at the appointed time? I could say that inspiration is always with me. But, it will dawn on me. Just sit down to work and enjoy. Probably, inspiration is when you feel good. That's all. People think that a detachment of Chinese people is working on Yevgenia Gapchinskaya's mother. On such statements, I always suggest trying to get up at five in the morning and draw to the evening, and yet - all the weekend. You will be surprised how much you can do if you work all the time, without waiting for you to "fall", not to smoke and watch TV.
Eugene, the publisher Ivan Malkovich somehow compared you to Mozart.
I think , because I, too, are an "early" child: I went to school at five, and at thirteen I entered an art school. To the mind of creativity.
Eugene, why do you always draw only children?
I do not know. There is simply nothing else in my head. At one time I already experimented with art when I trained at the Nuremberg Art Academy - I won a competition at the institute. And what I'm doing now is the result of those experiments. Children inspire me. Sometimes there are so many ideas that you have to write down so as not to forget. Occasionally I'm inspired by adults. For example, Olya Gorbachev once said that she works on New Year's Eve and is happy about it. It is usually considered, the New Year - a family holiday, it should be met in the circle of relatives. But I liked Olino's mood, and I wrote a picture called "I work on New Year's Eve - and I'm glad." For any creative person his work is a natural child. Are there any favorites among your pictures?
The picture "It's Easier to Forget One Hundred Kisses than One in Childhood" I drew about two years ago. But, despite the fact that she loved very much, she sold it. Of course, it was a pity. I reassure myself that she did not disappear from the face of the Earth, but simply lives somewhere in another place and someone makes me happy. There is a girl on the beach. Nothing, probably, such - only that touches me personally. Perhaps I wrote this picture with some special feeling, and it was preserved in my memory. In principle, I always work with a good feeling in my soul. In a bad mood - I do not even try. And how do you regain your normal mood? Thank God, I have a bad mood rarely.
As a rule, I lie under the blanket and do nothing. Half a day with a book by Dina Rubina or a plaid on the grass - and everything passes. And the most favorite holiday - three days in Paris. On the fourth I'm already missing: I want to go home - work!
About a year and a half ago I was carried away by yoga. Before that, I tried everything: I was running, practicing fitness. In the gym I do not like: I'm shy and I want to go home as quickly as possible. Yoga, on the one hand, relaxes, and on the other - energizes for the whole day. And you do not have to go to the hall. I, of course, initially engaged with the instructor, and now myself - every morning at home for an hour and a half.
Eugenia, are there any dishes or drinks that can please and cheer up?
I love tea with milk, especially Lipton. I still love cheese cakes. They are very well prepared by the husband - at once all sorrows pass. I do not adhere to any special diets. Over the years, there was a list of favorite foods, and very small: I like buckwheat porridge, cooked beets, cottage cheese with sour cream, dishes from pumpkin and carrots. I cook more often, but in general - who today is not lazy and who has a mood. It can be both husband and daughter Nastya. On weekends we arrange a family breakfast. In the evening we come up with the idea that we will cook. But my husband always does my favorite cheese cakes. You after all with the spouse are familiar from the childhood?
We met at the art school. I was 13 years old then, and Dima - 15. Then they studied together at the institute, only at different faculties. I studied painting, and he mastered polygraphy, computer design. At first we were just friends: it's unlikely that at the age of thirteen in the third year the schools began to treat each other with trembling. There was affection, tenderness. This trembling feeling for each other you manage to save to this day. Share a secret? The main thing is to respect each other. You can not raise your voice, reproach your partner. After all, when you live together, you can always find an excuse for a scandal. Just need to understand that this should not be done. And also - put yourself in the place of your loved one.
Eugene, did you always have such a wise understanding of partnerships or came with experience?
It did not come immediately . Just at some point, I was afraid of losing this person. And I began to seriously adjust my character. Because I'm very hot-tempered by nature. Dima, on the contrary, is calm.
We have been married for 16 years. And if you count from the time of dating, then together 22 years. Our daughter Nastyusha already 16. Now Dima is engaged in my affairs - advertising, catalogs, etc. Six years ago, when it became clear that I myself can not cope, I asked him to leave his job and switch to me. So I am very successful in combining family and work! Another, perhaps, helps is that I do not like to be distracted by some unnecessary things. To a minimum, I reduced empty meetings, which give nothing and turn into a simple "la-la-la". Of course, there is a small circle of people with whom it gives me great pleasure to communicate - these are my close ones and friends. But I only have three friends. When you look at your pictures, full of children's joy, it seems that in the artist's soul pessimism ... ... Absolutely not! It's really true. But the lightness and childlikeness in my soul, it seems, I got thanks to my husband. Dima has such a perception of the world. Living next to him for many years, I also learned this.
I really liked this phrase, and I took it as a slogan. I try to follow it. It seems to me that if a person is attuned to the light, then he and his associates build their relations accordingly. He is honest with himself and with people, as a result, one does not have to lie and wriggle, and the relationship is not entangled. This greatly simplifies life. When did you realize that real success has come to you? Probably, when about three years ago I drove past the Museum of Russian Art and saw the line of people wishing to get to my exhibition. Then I even felt uneasy, I thought: "Horror! So many people! "In general, there was no unexpected success. So narrow that Luciano Pavarotti came to you personally to buy a pair of paintings.
This is generally an amazing story! They called and asked if I would be in the studio for two hours. And arrived in twenty minutes. Who is going to come, I was not warned, and when I saw the very Luciano Pavarotti, my heart sank.
The rest was like a fog, so I remember everything vaguely.
Pavarotti chose for a long time: he wanted one picture, then another. As a result, I took two: "I do not care where I live, just to live with you" (on the seashore there are two baskets with angels sitting in them) and "A Girl with a Pearl Earring".
As far as I know, one more your picture left to "live" in Italy.
"Dolce and Gabbana." Andrei Malakhov saw her in the magazine and wanted to buy to give Italian designers with whom he was friends. First, Masha Efrosinina called from him. And then Malakhov himself came to Kiev. To show your pictures to people, you even hung them at restaurants.
I always had a deep conviction that if the work is interesting, it will be noticed, even if you lean it against the wall, putting it somewhere on the floor. For this, there is absolutely no need for special conditions, lighting, etc. If only ten people look at my work, it will be enough.
Dima staged such a funny PR: they themselves cut out cardboard invitation cards. I found the addresses of newspapers, magazines, TV channels in the "Yellow Pages" directory and personally brought invitations to the editorial offices. Interestingly, this method worked: my first exhibition was attended by people, and among them was Lilya Pustovit (apparently, one of her friends invited). At first I thought that it seemed to me, she was even frightened ...
Eugenia, achieving the goal for you is an occasion to set goals. I used to set myself the goals: I will bite the earth, for example, but move to Kiev.