Tanya Atanasova
Artists: Tanya Atanasova
Project "YOU MY DEAR"
I’m working on a large series of portraits of people I know very well or people that have played an important role in my life through the years. This two-and-a half-year project, in which I want to capture more than just the outer appearance of my models is called “You my dear” and is all about friendship.
I have started this project one year ago doing everything on my own: traveling far to interview my models and get some pictures, working long days in my atelier, developing the website, buying materials, painting for months, crating, shipping, writing, publishing ... These paintings are not commissioned and there is no guarantee of sales. In fact it is quite unusual to sell existing portraits to customers/collectors who don’t really know the person on the canvas. But it still is a project of a great importance to me - this is my way of saying “thank you” to these people for being next to me all these years. I’m telling their stories, I’m painting/celebrating the link with them!
In my artistic practice I use a lot of modern painting techniques to create the different “layers” of a personality, character, spirit, presence… I devote a lot of attention to the construction of my character’s personalities. Being interested in the psychology of my models, I want to become an intermediary between subject and viewer – building a connection that goes beyond painted realism. My gaze is directed deep into the story of every personage I create, his/her identity and unique complexity. Looking at the paintings should be like taking a glimpse into the character’s diary or reading a page out of his/her biography.