Looking back to your life how many lives have you lived?

I lived many. 

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I was born in Russia, Moscow. My great grandmother started Abkhazian ballet in Sochi Ballet Theater. Dance has always been part of my life and love for the grace of a dancer can be seen throughout some of my paintings. Childhood dream to be in ballet was broken at the age of 7 when Russian Ballet school said it was too late and I wasn't flexible enough, which I substituted with acrobatics, latin dancing and later becoming a yoga trainer.

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My grandfather was a diplomat having lived in various countries among which were Argentina and Iran. While Russian was my least favorite class in school he spoke 4, which always impressed me until years after I can say the same. Multilingual communication is like multicolor pallet. 

 

While growing up in closed Soviet Union I had curiosity to explore the world. So I do and the diverse colours of the world are expressed in some of the works. Having traveled over 40 countries i am inspired by multicultural world without borders, people, animals, birds, nature, its colours and facets. 

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As a little girl mom took me to museums, theaters, we traveled to visit friends, cities in Soviet Union. Passion for history, art, culture, nature and people drive me to explore and create.

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When I was a little girl I used to entertain myself drawing. I used pencils, watercolors, & created pictures by burning pieces of wood, created stuffed animals, sowed dresses, carved figures from wood. All the visual result of my creations brought me a great sense of joy. 

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I was an extroverted child but I still enjoyed being on my own in the world of own imagination. Looking around walls, wardrobes, toys and the world outside my window, I saw shapes and colours of things that I liked & copied them to bring them closer to me so I could “touch” them my eyes. The most fascinating things were outside, the sky, birds, the building across the street with its multiple windows, the trees covering walls. During my visits to my grandparents’ house I was fascinated by gracious porcelain figurines of dancers, by shapes & curves that I tried to put on the paper. The most appealing part was the process of shaping a picture on the paper, it seemed like a miracle as hands moved & painted until something beautiful emerged & I was driven by the curiosity of seeing it evolving.

 

I still love the amazing journey from a white canvas and a vague idea of how to paint something that actually looks real, to creating a piece that pleases the eye and might be liked by others. I discovered oil painting while living in California, the smell and texture seemed so natural to me that I was attracted to it without resistance.

 

The world is an amazing place that can be discovered through an array of faces, & throughout my journey from Russia to USA, to Holland, Spain, Belgium, and Germany I had discovered, out of my love for travelling, new places and cultures, art and architecture, dance and music that keep me daydreaming & inspired.

 

My dream was to go to art school, learn how to paint what I see, one day I might, until then I will enjoy the journey of self-discovery…Or maybe learning by doing is the best school. Hope you’ll enjoy the journey with me through art.

 

Natalya Berdikyan

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