Interview with Artist: Elena Panimasova

by Galina Kovshilovsky

Why has painting become your life's work?

I can’t say unequivocally that painting is the center of my life because I am not a professional artist, but the fact that drawing has brought a lot to my life is true. The most important thing that painting has brought into my life is the understanding that there are no boundaries for creativity: neither age, nor technical, nor territorial.

What is your background in art?

Five years ago I tried to paint with oil on canvas which increased my desire and curiosity about art. Then I started going to workshops. Fortunately, there were a lot of them. Then I started taking online lessons. In general, let's say I am self-taught under the guidance of an experienced master. And that master is the wonderful St. Petersburg artist Olga Bazanova.

Which art direction is closest to you?

I really love Dutch-style still lives, but so far there are not many of them in my arsenal, there is not enough technology [don't understand]. I also love bright colors in the style of impressionism, naturalness, and photographic hyperrealism.

Which of your work do you like most?

I like the color and brightness of My grandmother smokes a pipe" the tenderness of the daisies and the airiness of space in the picture. When the First Rain Drops Drop” and the magic of Rabbit Hole.

What is the strongest memory of your childhood?

One of the powerful events that deeply touched me in my childhood were home concerts were organized by local children and put on in the stairwells of apartment buildings. These were the first acting, directorial and organizational experiments of a 6-7 year old girl, and they were encouraged and supported by my relatives [don't understand from her on] and therefore, possibly, “sprouted” in the future in hobbies and work.

Can you describe a life situation that inspired you?

Recently I have been motivated by meeting people over 50 who, despite their adult status, are constantly looking for new inspirations, who chase their curiosity, and try everything that they dreamed of – and some things they did not dream of. It is amazing to see how books and paintings, communities and associations, directions and even professions are born from them. And this is not from the fact that they have more free time, but from the fact that they have begun to see and hear more purposefully, and to wish more courageously. It was as if a world of new opportunities not previously seen had opened before them. And this creates the desire to follow such new paths including art.

Why art and not something else?

I have many different hobbies: Painting as a way to break away from reality. Writing as a way to explain and change reality. Audio recordings as an opportunity to realize acting skills. But I still go to work every day, five days a week. Through this combination of rational and irrational I gain integrity. But art as a means of harmonization is present in all my manifestations.

What is your view of life as an artist?

Life is finite but life should be interesting. You cannot spend expensive time on meaningless, unhealthy pastimes, negative emotions, and bad people. We need to learn to live in joy with optimistic and energetic people. It is not simple. But after all, for this we have been given a time period from birth to death.

What do you want to achieve in your work?

It is important for me to realize myself, find my talents and, of course, with my hobbies, my results, and my experience, encourage people to see the “spark of God” in themselves and give them a helping hand along this path, and to welcome new ones.

Do you have a favorite place in the world that inspires you? If so, where is it?

I am a long-time traveler and have traveled to many countries. I love the sunset on the ocean in Goa and Mauritius. Lately I feel good on a sunny morning on the veranda in my own garden with a cup of coffee, although in my dreams I live in a small house on a seafront, surrounded by a blossoming garden in which funny neighbors gather in the evenings for a party playing bridge.

What is your goal for the near future?

Good question. I never set goals. The saddest thing for me is not even the difficulties on the way to the goal, but its achievement. I listen to the space and wait to see what it has prepared for me today each day. Then I begin to live in it and fall in love with this state until the space throws me a new challenge. In a few months I will be 60 years old, and I am in demand as a specialist [what kind of specialist?] and as a creative person. I want to try being a grandmother. Writing a mystical and life-affirming book. Making a game with TARO cards, so people are not afraid to know themselves. And finishing a long-started picture with riddles and 2 or 3 meanings. For the near future I have many plans.