Russian Artist Paints the Interiors of Her Friends’ Bedrooms

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Jovana A
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Russia-born artist Ekaterina Popova has been living in the U.S. since 2001. During her move from her home country to another continent when she was a teenager, she started painting. Art was first a coping mechanism for all the changes that were happening, but it later became her profession.

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Three years ago, with $80 left in my bank account I took a flight to Miami. ⁣ ⁣ This was around the time that I lost my first business and I was stressed, anxious but knew I had to show up for this opportunity. I was so self-conscious at the time and it took everything for me to overcome my fear of being seen. I was so worried people would figure out that I was a fraud who didn’t belong at these fancy parties for successful people. ⁣ I was nominated to exhibit a work by my mentor Bridgette Mayer to exhibit at @artmiamifairs with @unleashed_world. ⁣ ⁣ I remember being surrounded by beautiful, powerful women during this crisis in my life and it gave me the courage to keep going. ⁣I got to meet @jaclynnbrennan who inspires me until this day! ⁣ Take a chance on yourself, go after that opportunity, even if it’s using the last dollar you got (if your gut tells you that it’s time). ⁣ Reminiscing on this experience before I fly to Miami in a few weeks and how sometimes scary risks make beautiful new beginnings blossom in our lives and careers! This is the painting I made for the event 💙💎🌸 I’m happy to say that my career and business took off about a year after this and continues to grow. Thank you to those who believed and invested in me so far! 🙏

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Today, Popova lives in Pennsylvania and exhibits her work in galleries across the country. Growing up in Russia, she was surrounded by art all the time – from theatre and ballet to visual culture. One of her favorite things to do is to paint bedrooms of her friends as she visits them.

“I didn’t initially plan to paint the bedrooms,” she tells It’s Nice That. “When I first started exploring interiors in my work, I tried to convey old Russian homes from my memories and experiences.” She then started painting her own apartment before moving to other interiors and pretty much never stopped.

See them below.

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All the cozy vibes with this piece from 2016 💙 thanks for sharing my work @artistswonders ・・・ Ekaterina Popova inspired by people homes. Every time she enters a new room she is confronted by artifacts and objects that describe someone’s unique journey. She believes this obsession started when she moved to America from Russia at a young age. She compares and reflects on her journey by exploring other people’s shelters. She tries to communicate that feeling of belonging, comfort and slight nostalgia through her work. 🛌 Ekaterina Popova insanların evlerinden ilham alıyor. Ne zaman yeni bir odaya girse, birinin kendine özgü yolculuğunu tanımlayan eserler ve nesnelerle karşı karşıya kalıyor. Bu saplantının genç yaşta Rusya'dan Amerika'ya taşındığında başladığına inanıyor. Diğer insanların barınaklarını keşfederek yolculuğunu karşılaştırır ve yansıtır. Bu aidiyet, rahatlık ve hafif nostalji hissini çalışmalarıyla aktarmaya çalışır. @katerinaspopova

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