A Love Story That Was Meant To Be
Olga and Aleksey, Russia and Colorado
"LONGHORN SUNSET"
27" x 24", egg tempera on panel
This is a love story. It’s one couple’s classic tale: They share a love for art and each other, for a new country, a new culture and a new life. Aleksey and Olga Ivanov are artists originally from Russia, and for the last 20 years, they have called the United States—specifically Colorado—their home. They are a bonded pair, married not only in real life but also in their art, creating each work in collaboration.
Their art perfectly represents their lives. The European side, characterized by their favorite technique—egg tempera, native to Europe and tracing back to antiquity—and their deep appreciation for Western culture, which is represented graphically in most of their work.
When did you know you wanted to be artists?
We were both around four years old. We were both born and raised in Moscow, and it is an entirely different dimension in so many ways, with a foreign language, culture, alphabet, different mentality. We were both students in an art college that was very strict, very academic, with set rules. Back then and there, they were very clear on telling art students how difficult and nearly impossible it would be for artists to make a living creating art.
For us, it was undeniable that there was nothing else that we wanted to do but art. That brought us together. One day we were discussing how to make art sellable, how to make it interesting, so we said, "Let's make this piece together," so we did once and then another time and another time, and then we realized we were a family team. So every piece we create is 50/50. That is what we present to the public; we have one signature for both of us. Most importantly, we have fun, and we love what we do.
Tell us a bit about your creative process.
We like to jump in the car and take long rides to the mountains, we take photos and one of us says "Boom!"—there is an idea for a painting. Then we write it down, come back home and Olga does the first sketch and I (Aleksey) develop it. Then I produce a board or canvas, and we get started. One thing that makes our art unique is that we work with egg tempera, which is an ancient technique.
We also incorporate modern tools into our creative process; for instance, we use iPads and Photoshop to develop sketches and compositions. At that point, we can move elements around, change the format and then transfer it to the board and choose the exact size we want.
It was meant to be. We have been doing this for a long time; it's been 30 years of us working together. We have two tables facing each other, and we have a mutual understanding of what is art, what is not art. We understand each other.
"WESTERN MEADOWLARK RHAPSODY”
22" x 36”, egg tempera on panel
Tell us about your medium; why did you choose to work with egg tempera?
It is the mother of techniques. It is very easy and challenging at the same time. It is a powder pigment mixed with egg yolk, which is very simple. It makes the process a little bit slow. It dates back to the Renaissance times in Italy and Germany and other European countries. The thing about egg tempera is that you use a lot of layers and millions of tiny strokes. We use different types of medium—for instance, we paint with oil from time to time, charcoal, pastels, but egg tempera is what excited us.
What inspires you?
We are so in love with western art, people, landscapes and beautiful animals. We are so lucky that we got to arrange our lives to live in the mountains, a little bit isolated, and we get to breathe that western mountain air and look at the bison, watch the birds, the sunrise and sunsets. We love empty spaces. We love going to Oklahoma City. We have met such fantastic people with a beautiful mentality, and we feel like they understand us as artists and how we feel and what we do. There is an extraordinary beauty about it.
ALEKSEY AT WORK
"WHITE WING"
45" x 53”, egg tempera on panel
Aleksey, what is the most meaningful work of art you have created?
My idea of being an artist is that it is just the beginning. If you say, "Oh, my work is so meaningful and I have created this, and that,” you are dead! You can retire. You can take a nap. It doesn't matter how old I am. I always think that our best work is in the future. It is yet to come. Nothing is going to stop me—I will die with a brush in my hand.
How does Olga approach art?
Olga is more into colors and the emotional part of the art. She is way better than me at coming up with a title or an idea. I am more technical when it comes to straight lines, tiny details. I do a lot of the prep work, like sanding and framing. Again, we make a good team.
What is the most fulfilling part of being an artist?
It makes us happy. It is so meaningful when you spend so much time working on your art, and then it is appreciated. Sometimes, someone will love it so much that they will even buy it. Some immigrants say, "I came to the United States for a better life"—for us, we came to the United States to paint! So that someone could see and understand what we are painting.
That is why we are here. I have made a life here; how cool is that? I found art collectors here that followed us throughout the years. They come to our shows and send us cards and notes. To us, that means everything.