KSENIA K O PA L O VA by Lon Levin
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences?
There's a common stereotype about artists in childhood and kids in general, that all of them are so naturally creative and ingenious that the only task of an art teacher and parents is not to stifle this creativity. I was a complete opposite to this.
When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors? Even though I have been drawing a lot ever since I remember, it wasn't until the last years of my first university that I have started thinking about it as professional practice. Back then I was studying sociology, but was still drawing quite a lot. I started taking commissions to earn some money and gain experience in freelancing as an illustrator. Doing this, I soon realized it's not sociology that I want to do for a living. At the same time, I really lacked a lot of skills and that's why decided to continue my education and enroll in an illustration program at British Higher School of Art and Design. Even though at that time the profession of an illustrator wasn't considered a way to gain stable income, my family was really supportive of my decision, which I am really grateful for.
Looking at my childhood drawings I can't help but think: How could I be so boring?.. I loved copying images from encyclopedias, meticulously - as much as a 5 year old child possibly can - redrawing birds and trees from biology books. My notepad scribbles were very typical princesses and flowers. Looking at them today I would never think the person who drew that would become an artist. This boring and meticulous diligence, though, might have become the reason why I was pretty successful in studies - including the studies in an art school for kids, which was one of the few places to get prepared for the art university in a small town where I grew up. That school was very conservative in its approach, giving classes where 10 year olds had to draw Aristotle plaster heads and home ware still life. Nowadays it seems ridiculous to me to teach art to kids like this.
