Today we’d like to introduce you to Alena Kononova.
Hi Alena, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My life as an artist began five years ago. The story started with my passion for books and reading. I read a lot, read widely and diversely. And then finally, I got to the biographies of famous artists. And those stories changed my life in the most profound way. I wanted to live like them, to live with feelings, to transmit my vision through color and form. I decided to immortalize myself in something beautiful and important. My first drawings were made only with a pencil. I’ve been spending hours drawing hands and feet. I had no desire to draw an entire person, I liked giving my fullest attention on separate parts of the body. And of course, at first, I wasn’t a painter, you don’t become a painter only by having decided you want to be one.
One day I received a canvas, some paint, and an easel in the form of a Christmas present. I had absolutely no idea what I should do with it. So, I took a tube of red oil paint and squeezed the tube directly on the canvas. Not on a palette? No…I knew nothing about palettes. This was, I now realize, very naïve of me. But, as they say, it is important to make the first step rather than evaluate it.
Years went by, I moved to Philadelphia, my drawing studio, at that time, was the kitchen and the balcony. I remember one day, I couldn’t find my Green Card, this meant that I urgently needed to find money to replace the card. And that’s when my fascinating adventure with colors and brushes had begun. I gave me, let’s call them Adventure Companions an entire room in our apartment. I even set an alarm and changed its name to “STOP SLEEPING! GET UP! YOU NEED TO DRAW – TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL!”. Each morning, the wake-up call rang at 7am, and I went headlong in search for a new and original manner to express myself in art. This is how I drew my first paintings. And after a month or something, I walked into the room full of art, full of my art.
At the time when I found my green card in a small pocket of an old mini purse, I already had about 30 paintings in oil. Money for the card no longer needed, but I couldn’t live without drawing ever since. So I’ve continued to live such a lifestyle. From the biographies of the legendary artists, I knew that doing the drawings was a hard work and it requires great discipline. Since the beginning of my journey as an artist, I follow this order.
All of a sudden, I felt that I wanted to learn drawing techniques, and enrolled in courses for artists at the Arts Council of Princeton. How boring! We copied, studied the contrasts of light and shadow. Students were showing each other their works that were created both inside and outside the classroom throughout the course. And everything that I created outside of class was way brighter, more interesting, and more original, I would say. Even my teacher noted this, and I decided to finish my schooling and allowed myself free to depict various plots from my head independently.
After a while, I became interested in the art market to understand how to organize an exhibition and to learn how the system works from the inside out. So, I took the introductory course on curating at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. That was interesting, difficult, but necessary.
A new phase has started for me, this was the return to Russia for the holidays. I met an interesting Russian artist Sergey Nagorny. And the most important event that happened to me was, as we toured the studio, I saw a beautiful painting leaning against the wall. – painted with pastels. -Pastel? – I asked suspiciously. I had never heard of “Pastel”. Well, I asked him to teach me.
In the studio, we painted in oils, and pastel drawings were homework assignments. Sitting on the floor I painted pastel pictures at night, and I fell in love with it over and over again. I’ve fallen in love with every touch and movement, with every created line. That spring, I became a pastel painter. My mind was filled with art. I’d wake up and run to my canvas. And the ideas started to emerge on their own, one after the other. All else made no sense to me. Creating a picture from start to end was literally my everything.
That same spring, I got my first commission from a local restaurant – this was a diptych, each part of which was 3.3 feet tall. That is an enormous job for the first order. The only client’s requirement was to make this picture “in my style”. From sunrise to sunset , all I did was paint and draw for a whole month. To be honest, I was struggling, I had deep doubts about my abilities. Just the thought that the final result may not satisfy the client’s needs was eating me up.
When the painting was done, I ordered a large truck, loaded the diptych into the truck, and we headed to the restaurant for which the work was created. The client was more than satisfied with the completed project. Soon I received a text from her saying, “I don’t know how to explain it, but as soon as I left the restaurant, I was drawn back to the painting because it’s just so powerful, magnetic.” My inner universe was lit up again. Thus, I earned my first 800 USD by doing what I love to do. And my parents began to see my life’s work with completely different eyes.
When I returned after the holidays, my husband and I relocated to Austin, Texas. With all this said, I do think it’s important to say that before I moved over here, I had read “Green Lights” by Matthew McConaughey. This memoir has taught me a lot. Most importantly, this book taught me not to be afraid of anything, that I shouldn’t be afraid to dream, that I shouldn’t be afraid to show people my work, that I shouldn’t be afraid to take risks, to be not afraid to communicate, and not to be afraid to live a life.
Texas – the so-called new chapter of my life. This, by the way is my favorite chapter. I re-painted the whole balcony in a yellow color, picked up my pastels, and officially opened a small studio, let’s call it “The Balcony”. The first painting I drew in the new place. And guess the name of the painting? It is – drum roll please – TEXAS! I’ve continued drawing a lot again, did a lot of reading, started listening to classical music, made it a habit of attending all kinds of art events, and generally continued to develop culturally in every possible way. I strongly believe that an artist’s intelligence, “art iq”, is reflected in his paintings. And therefore, the intellectual development has become a daily ritual for me.
When I realized that my works are worthy of attention, I began to fill up applications and sent resumes to local galleries, days went by, but the response remained pending…yes, it breaks you, for many people it discourages the desire to do anything. Indeed, but not for me. Something was whispering to me that I’m an extraordinary individual, that I am talented and I will find success. I was driven by the boundless self-belief. No one and nothing could shake my solid belief.
The story of my life is a reaffirmation of the belief that there’s no such thing as a coincidence, that God is carrying us to heights unknown and creates an environment for our development and growth.
Our landlord raised the rent, and at the end of the month, we had no money for food. But I had “The Balcony” full of art, full of incredibly beautiful paintings. So, that got me wondering, why do I need to wait for the reply from the gallery, what about people on the street? I packed up my easels, took 5 paintings with me, and left the house.
Ooh, I love this story.
I walked, not quite knowing where, I just kept walking and walking, I only knew that I’d feel where to stay. Gray-haired, neat, a smiling stranger with a saxophone in his hands called out to me and asked – “are you a musician, too? What’s in the bag? Which instruments do you play? I had an easel inside, and I confessed that I’m a painter. Nothing else needed to be said, he immediately understood that I certainly came out there to display my paintings. He simply asked me to stand next to him. That was exactly what I needed. And with a moment’s reflection, I began setting up my paintings to the sounds of his saxophone.
Shortly after that, in a loud solemn voice (I thought that his voice could be heard throughout the city), he started to drum up everyone around. To say I was completely floored by his marketing techniques is to say nothing. However, I began to respond not only situationally but also managed to adjust to such antics. Within a few minutes, a mass of people hovered around me. We talked, never had I received such compliments from complete strangers. Frankly speaking, thinking about it now, I have tears coming. Austinites, they are different (in a good way). They’re kind, they’re open, they’re ready to support, they’re tuned for friendly communication.
Photographers, musicians, bikers came up to me, they admired my works, others admired my bravery. Many people thanked me for showing my paintings to them. Kids were stopping and pointing out my art to their parents. We worked as a team, adorable and harmoniously. To me, a child’s smile and attention…this is a special, an incomparable sense of delight. Children have a high energy level that they can sense things, while most of us see and hear them. Kids can feel the energy. They keep their minds open. They are more sensitive to colors, trust me, if you’re having difficulty figuring out whether it is a good work of art or a bad one, kids are the first people you should ask for help.
On that day, I overcame my fear of interacting with people (raise your hand up if you’re an introvert), demonstrated the work and received the verification smile from kids. That’s when I found a lot of my friends, my new friends from Austin. By the way, I still keep in touch with them. And yes, it was that day when I sold one of my favorite paintings to a very kind person and then went for the food shopping. On top of all that came the realization that this is a matter of life.
We are here to live an interesting life and support others, to provide food for the mind, or simply food to keep you moving towards your dream. Furthermore, a painting (specifically an abstract painting) can help a person. An abstract art is a departure from reality, it relieves stress, keeps the brain working, and simply makes us feel happy.
An abstract painting also centers us on what’s truly important in our lives. If it’s the right piece, you’ll feel it in your heart. Thus, I have decided that I must show my art to everyone. And hopefully, I can give happiness to them with my paintings in such a volatile world. You never know who needs to see it, but I believe that I will find the right heart for each of my paintings. It could be you, who knows, right?
This year, I received a number of responses from galleries in Russia. And was exhibited in a group exposition in Moscow and then in a group exhibition in St. Petersburg. Just a couple of days ago, I participated in my first group show in Austin. I began to receive responses to my applications with “Congrats! We just accepted your artist submission for…”
There is more to come. I’m working on it. I continue to learn, unlearn and learn again. I support other creatives because at one point, someone supported me. It is important to be a part of a team, to be a part of society. It is important to find your people. I truly believe that it is essential for every person to be engaged in creativity, ideally daily.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I wouldn’t call my journey – easy one. But I can say confidently that all that I’ve been through, all the difficulties were needed for my growth. Both creative and emotional. In other words, from the totality of such moments, the final point of the journey is formed. Where you’re made to feel uncomfortable, where you just have to try something new and extraordinary, where you learn how to overcome any emotions of fear and self-doubt. And only your strong self-belief helps not to give your brushes up!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I believe that my love of God sets me apart from others. I create bright, pure and virtuous paintings. I refuse to worship any evil forces through painting. Swear words, negative plots and characters – all that is alien to me. I would rather paint a happiness. I want to make people happy through my art. I am a GOOD painter, lit by the sun. A painter in love with life.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I’m happy on my own. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on my external conditions. I’m happy and it’s a deliberate choice I make, my conscious decision is to be happy. And I fill my paintings with happiness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://creatively.life/jivopiece
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jivopiece/
