In a world of constant choices, we find ourselves at a crossroads, torn between the allure of the city and the serenity of nature. This artwork tells a story, inviting you to reflect on the choices that shape your life.

The canvas reveals a young girl standing amidst the dichotomy of urban life and the beauty of the natural world. The cityscape looms in the distance, promising excitement, opportunities, and endless pursuits. Yet, behind the glittering lights, lies a fast-paced existence filled with stress and disconnection.

On the other side, nature beckons with its tranquil landscapes, whispering tales of peace and harmony. It reminds us of the simplicity and beauty that surrounds us, offering a respite from the chaos of modern life.

This artwork challenges us to contemplate the choices we make. Are we lured by the allure of the city, with its promises of success and accomplishment? Or do we seek solace in the embrace of nature, where true harmony resides?

The girl in the painting represents each one of us, standing at this crucial intersection. Will she succumb to the pressures of the city, losing herself in its never-ending demands? Or will she choose a different path, one that aligns with her inner peace and connection to the natural world?

As you gaze upon this artwork, ask yourself: What is your choice? Will you find happiness in the pursuit of societal success, or will you seek harmony within, embracing the gifts nature has to offer?

The power to choose lies within you. Embrace the introspection, listen to your heart, and let your choice lead you towards a life that resonates with your true essence.

The Choice Within. What will you choose?

“The Choice Within“

Started in 2018, finished in 2023, represents my impressions of a yearly event in our village.

Talk and Dance

When I considered the theme of this exhibition what felt most relevant was considering what in my practice has been worked on when I was younger but have come back to, and what I work on in little snippets of time. I’ve recently come to back to collage, and over the past several months I find myself working on them here and there. I give myself small goals at work, and then work on collages for a few moments. Oddly, at work is sometimes when I have more time to create Art as my 3 year old has left little time for creation. I feel like that might be changing as we have begun to work on scissors skills and I hope that sometime soon he and I will be building these collages together.

Star Child

Thoughts

In an era dominated by advanced technology, where our lives seem intertwined with digital wonders, and artificial intelligence has become an undeniable presence, the question arises: Do we still believe in the essence of humanity? Amidst the whirlwind of innovation, it's crucial to ponder the true purpose of our existence. Our emotional depth, the wide array of feelings we experience, and the very core of our being are what define us as humans. In a time when it's easy to be enamored by technology, it's essential to recognize that our real strength lies in something inherently human. It's our ability to feel, to love, and to empathize that sets us apart. Amidst the algorithms and data, our emotions remain a distinctly human trait. These emotions, rooted in love, shape our connections, our experiences, and our impact on the world. As we traverse the realm of the modern age, let's never underestimate the power of our humanity. In a world where technology seems to hold the answers, remember that it's our ability to feel and to love that truly defines us.

"Do You Believe in Humans?"

Deep within this enchanted realm, a curious and kind-hearted troll named Finnegan resided. Finnegan had always felt a special connection to the natural world, and he spent his days exploring the forest, seeking its hidden treasures and unraveling its secrets.

One serene morning, as Finnegan ventured deeper into the forest, he stumbled upon a delicate bumblebee named Buzz.

Guided by the whispers of the trees and the songs of the forest, Finnegan and Buzz discovered that the Enchanted Forest held secrets that surpassed their wildest imaginations. It was a place where boundaries were thin, and with open hearts and minds, they witnessed the enchantment that lingered there.

Over time, the Whispered Secrets of the Enchanted Forest continued to allure seekers of truth and wisdom. Its secrets, ever-unfolding, revealed themselves to those ready to embrace the interconnectedness of all things and honor Gaia’s sacredness.

Thus, the forest stood as a testament to the profound relationship between humanity and the natural world, reminding us that within the Whispered Secrets of the Enchanted Forest, lies Gaia’s eternal wisdom, unveiled to those who approach with an open heart and a spirit of reverence.

”Whispered Secrets of the Enchanted Forest”

Everyone says that for a happy life you have to trust the world. When you feel small and the world is so big, fear arises. However, big does not mean dangerous.

In order to trust the world, you must first trust yourself. So it’s always worth starting with simpler things.

There is a whole universe inside a human, which is full of its secrets. When consciously exploring his inner world, a person begins to understand himself and is able to recognize his true desires, others.

If you trust yourself, you have enough strength to walk the path of life. The unknown is always scary, but the way is clear by walking.

The outside world reflects the inside of a person.

If the inner world is harmonious, this is reflected in the outer world. If you have learned to understand your own desires and motives for your behavior, you know how to look for the best for yourself and are not afraid of unknown.

When you feel good about yourself, you can understand the reasons for your reaction. This gives you the opportunity to choose your attitude towards what is happening, allowing you to control your level of happiness.

You can trust yourself. You can live in peace and in trust. Confidence in yourself is the basis of confidence in the world.

Inside each person is a whole universe, which is reflected in the world around us, in other people. That’s why they say, ”beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

”The unknown is always scary, but the way is clear by walking”

Having a vivid imagination is truly fascinating. We can create entire worlds where we can escape from the challenges of our daily lives. However, for me, it goes beyond mere daydreaming. Imagination means creating places of strength where I can find inspiration and potential for enhancing my current reality. It’s not about running away from the real world; it’s about transforming and enriching life through creativity and personal growth. My imagination becomes a source of empowerment and a guiding star on the journey of self-discovery and achieving my goals.

Through my wool paintings, I aim to share this transformative power of imagination with others. Many have shared with me that my artworks have a profound impact on their consciousness, providing them with a sense of strength. They see in these creations a reflection of their childhood memories, a time when they were more connected to their spirits and felt more in tune with themselves. It’s like a gentle reminder from their past that their path is important and that they are the protagonist of their own story.

Each strand of wool, meticulously placed, becomes an invitation to reconnect with that sense of wonder and empowerment. My wool paintings become a conduit, allowing us to tap into the infinite possibilities that reside within us. They offer a glimpse into the world where we are not bound by limitations but propelled by our dreams.

So, as you gaze upon my woolen artworks, let them be a reminder that you hold the power to shape your reality. Let your imagination intertwine with your present moment, infusing it with the magic of possibilities. Embrace the hero within you and embark on the journey of your life, knowing that you have the strength to transform and thrive.

Wool Painting ”The Power of Imagination”

Fresias

People are so deeply immersed in everyday life. We are busy with various important things. We may even like this kind of life, but at some point it stops bringing joy. Even if a person does his favorite things, over time he gets tired and needs rest. Nature provides us with a good rest. However, not many people have the opportunity to visit the forest, which gives peace of mind, inner strength and a sense of balance.

I made this wool painting in a stream of inspiration, as if nature itself was guiding what I should depict on it. This painting with beautiful leaves, stones and moss creates the same feeling as when you are in the forest, but this atmosphere will be in your home. 3D wool painting looks like this when a piece of wood is in your home. This piece is very beautiful and relaxing.

The wool painting is made by mixing many different wools and techniques: wet felting, needle felting, embroidery, punch needle embroidery.

At ground level

Life-size animals were custom made for a church in Kuopio, Finland for a Christmas display.

Christmas nativity scene 

The dog sculpture is a felt statue, which was made not only by sheep's wool. Original dog's wool was used to create the art object too. The dog sculpture was created in the same size as the prototype, so its height is 90cm. 

Dog sculpture 

The women in my integration class fascinate me and I tried to imagine their colours. Their inner essence. They are so powerful even in their „helpless refugee“ status.

Presence

Moiren

cover art piece I designed and created for the new EP of S!RENE, a Rotterdam based DJ/producer.

tales of lusan

exploring the abstract nro. 10.

exploring the abstract nro. 20

the first piece to a new series 

'pick your own adventure'

i loved the game level assignment during my time at CG Spectrum so much, that i wanted to continue but more in my style. 

thus this will be a series of floating islands in various themes I luv.

tylerland

enjoying the experimenting and loving the abstract more and more as a more emotion based expression, 

this mess was very much the brain mood on the day i made it.

exploring the abstract nro. 19

really gonna miss you summer, 

if you wanna come back a lil early, 

i wont be mad.

exploring the abstract nro. 18

fuck the anti-abortion laws so hard, this is a decision solely for the pregnant person, and whom ever they choose to include in that decision making,

period.

  
this heavenly started as a study of [@michaelwillianphoto](https://www.instagram.com/michaelwillianphoto/) ’s stunning shot of [@mahanypery](https://www.instagram.com/mahanypery/). [@bygoldiie](https://www.instagram.com/bygoldiie/) ’s NOBO earrings and other pieces were a huge inspo, as always.

heavenly II

my submission for [@heforshexuva](https://www.instagram.com/heforshexuva/) ’s exhibition on self-expression, 

for their subcategory ’war & peace’.

  
a drew a lot of inspiration from my recent visit to Lisbon.

closing in

exploring the abstract nro. 16

first installation of my ongoing series 

'heavenly'

a portrait series intimately focusing on the stories our faces tell

heavenly

the first piece of my ongoing series into the exploration of the abstract 

exploring the abstract nro. 11

swim good

The War

Family Balance

Remembering Father

The painting depicts a carrier who carries souls to the afterlife. The pale soul obediently sits on the black horse of death and waits for a reception in the afterlife. Death is depicted in different ways, it all depends on the culture. But each will be given according to his faith. If you believe in the old woman with the scythe, she is your guide. If you believe in Charon, he will be waiting for you. The idea for this painting came during a trip to France in the tourist city of Carcassonne. From a distance it seems like an impregnable fortress, another dimension, something mysterious and inaccessible. On the canvas, in the background, it is the towers of Carcassonne that are depicted. As a symbol of the afterlife.

Carrier

From time immemorial we have been attracted by contrasts. The eternal theme is day and night, yin and yang, good and evil, life and death. We love life, but we are afraid of death. We adore light and avoid darkness. But we forget that one is an inevitable continuation of the other. Eternal cycles of birth and death, sunrise and sunset. This canvas depicts the coming night on a white horse. Why is the horse white? Because in the night there is a drop of the day, and in the daytime there is a dark sediment.


Full Moon

The world constantly gives signs, following which our life can run in the best possible way. However, our mind does not always allow us to recognize the signs. The mind usually has a strong idea of ​​how life should develop. Because anything that doesn't match the plan is simply not noticed by the conscious mind. That way the signs of the soul are ignored and the person continues to struggle with life. Wouldn't it be easier to let life itself guide us, so that we don't drown in the flow, but go with the flow smoothly? However, it is much easier and more efficient to be with the flow of life and use all the gifts that fate offers us. Nature always tries to accomplish the task in the easiest way possible. Only man can invent difficulties for himself and then try to overcome them. Being in the flow doesn't mean you have to go anywhere. It means finding the right direction and learning to control it. To catch the flow, you have to learn to observe the flow of life. To do this, control must be replaced by trust. Let the flow show you the way to a better life.

"The Flow"

Every person walks the path of life to a destination, wishing that the path would be uncomplicated and easy to walk. However, each person's path looks different, unique, distinctive. It often happens that, compared to others, our path does not look so smooth and straight. It may even seem that the other person's path is much nicer and more beautiful.

Nonetheless, it is a great misconception to think so. After all, each person lives their own unique life. We just have to turn around to face it and learn to live our best lives. They also say that fate has not been chosen! Maybe so. A paradigm is the generally accepted doctrine, mindset, trend of a discipline at any given time. Even so, we can choose different scenarios in our Destiny.

The future depends on the choices made today. If something in your destiny doesn't suit you, you can influence its course. You change the way you think, the way you react, the way you see...

If you want to live life to the fullest, if you want to get the most out of life, you have to change the paradigm of thinking, you have to get rid of restrictive beliefs and attitudes.

If you understand that your faith will not help you to live better, you have the right to exchange it for another. Life is in your hands.

Be master of your own destiny! Work your miracles!

"Paradigm shift"

Original painting is made of 100% sheep's wool

“Friends”

“The mountains hold the secret to the power”

Original painting is made of 100% sheep's woo

“The whole world is inside you”

Original painting is made of 100% sheep's wool 

“Early in the morning”

Cham dance

Procrastination 

The painting depicts a dialectical confrontation - the unity and struggle of opposites. Two absolutely perfect women, one of which symbolizes the day and the other the night. But is there a real difference? Two beautiful women who differ only in their position on the scale of contrasts. At the same time, the presence of one of them makes it possible to see the other side of the coin. After all, without light, there is no shadow. And the shadow favorably emphasizes the light.

Sky and earth

Through a Window D

Through a Window C

Playground

Once

Karen Mundi

Infinite Skies

Families 3

Families 2

Families 1

Country Fair

Can We Play Through

Through a Window B

Through a Window A

Dollhouse

All We Lose

When I began this project, I asked my community to provide me with images that represented themselves and how they felt they were coping with the pandemic. The original photographs were representative of their own view, however naturally as I interpreted and painted the image I applied my own gaze to these women. How did I see them? How did they fit into my life? What were they dealing with that they had shared with me. One was the sole breadwinner of a family of 5 after her husband lost his job due to the pandemic; she was worn out, touched out, but always there for a support. Another was unemployed and in the wrong country as she had brought her children to visit their father on the other side of the planet and got stuck by restrictions, but she was also the woman who guided me through breastfeeding my son. Lastly, and the most important of all is the woman who cares for my son while I’m at work, a mother herself who has not seen her children for over a year and half at that point, she was falling apart. Despite how drawn out they felt, each of these women was also saintly, so in the Orthodox tradition that I grew up with I filled the background in gold. All of us who are coping with the world in these trying times, are worthy of saint like status.

Pieced Together KAL

Pieced Together ESM 

When I fell in love with Art, I fell in love with portraiture. Regardless of the time period, I found myself drawn to faces I did not know and wanted to try to understand. An odd thing for someone raised on the influence of the Group of Seven. In my own art I have attempted to look at the experience of those I know well and capture the beauty they possess through all the uncertainty in their lives. Whether that uncertainty is parenthood, the pandemic, or the every day difficulties of living. However despite my love for the forests and lakes of home I have never put the two together before. This series finally brought together these two different forms of painting: portraiture and landscape. They started as zoom dates with friends, but they turned into stories of longing for the homes they left behind. Longing for Scottish highlands, the Lake Country, and English gardens. This homesickness has been exasperated by the pandemic as we feel trapped in our current desert homes, trapped behind our computer screens, but long for green fields of home.

Through a Screen Yasmine

Through a Screen Saiqah

There is a lot of talk about the loss of childhood. Children attached to their screens or their mother’s aprons strings. Apparently we cannot let our children roam free any longer. We can’t trust them, or neighbours, that the kids will come in when the street lights turn on. But, I don’t believe that has to be the case. The moments in my own childhood of freedom from parents to wander outside as child were frequent, but so incredibly memorable; both for the joy and the danger. I am lucky enough as an adult to live in a neighbourhood where my son can wander. The street lights might flicker, but his friends of varying ages keep an eye on him and make sure he is in for dinner. He has freedom and adventure, bullying and joy, laughter and tears. All these moments though are fleeting, blink and you miss them. The frantic energy of a 4 year old dictates the pace. I have been trying with this work to capture the moments of play. You might just catch them in your peripheral vision, they may be blurry, or show sudden movements. It is a juxtaposition of energy and stillness, of being in the moment and missing it, that I hope to capture in these images of play.

Triplicate

Streetlights

A unique piece of modern art.


Ready to hang, no other framing needed.

When shipping the painting is wrapped in a layer of grease proof paper, bubble wrap and delivered in a specially made cardboard painting box for protection.

Each painting comes with a unique certificate of authenticity signed and dated by the artist.

NOT ABOUT BANKSY

INTROS

Warhol inspired. A unique piece of modern art.

Ready to hang, no other framing needed.

When shipping the painting is wrapped in a layer of grease proof paper, bubble wrap and delivered in a specially made cardboard painting box for protection.
Each painting comes with a unique certificate of authenticity signed and dated by the artist.
Original Created:2021
Subjects:Pop Culture/Celebrity
Materials:Canvas
Styles:Street ArtPop ArtModern
Mediums:Acrylic Ink varnish 

RIDERS

Snoopy

Guido

Smoking man

Cat Nap

Felinity

Noh 

Flute

"La vie en rose" is one of the most romantic paintings of Elena Parau.
Made on gallery wrapped canvas, with some texture, it can be the rose piece that gives charm to your whole house. Surely this painting will fill with love and harmony any room in which it will be placed.
The vibration of this painting and this multitude of flowers can only make us think of life in pink and the romance we need to let ourselves be loved and make our lives beautiful.

This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.

Artwork description of "La vie en rose":
-Size: 120x80x4 cm (47.5"x31.5"x1.6")
-No frame needed - side painted
-Hanging Mechanism - Ready to hang
-Finished with two coats of protective gloss varnish, which adds a subtle luster and protects your investment
-Medium: Professional artist grade Acrylic
-Gallery wrapped canvas (professional canvas)
-Signed and dated by me as well as accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

♥ ♥ The shipping is made from Colombia !

La vie en rose

Telling the delicate story of cherry blossoms, this new piece of art is ready to find its collector in this beautifully world. The combination between the white-pink flowers and the darkest ones in colour represents a parallel between life and death, past and future.

Painting it she thought of cherry blossoms in the spring, but then she realised that having it around it blossoms anytime.
Made on gallery wrapped canvas, well textured.
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.

Artwork description of "Cherry blossoms":
-Size: 120x80x4 cm (47.5"x31.5"x1.6")
-No frame needed - side painted
-Hanging Mechanism - Ready to hang
-Finished with two coats of protective gloss varnish, which adds a subtle luster and protects your investment
-Medium: Professional artist grade Acrylic
-Gallery wrapped canvas (professional canvas)
-Signed and dated by me as well as accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

♥ ♥ The shipping is made from Colombia ! 

Cherry blossoms

The Dream 

My works explores how the digital space re-shapes the human emotional behaviour. There is a new emotional intensity tightly interwined with the virtual reality that I seek to look into closely. My artistical exploration revolves around the ideea of digital autism.

 Digital autism is a concept that describes the way humans tend to lose themselves into the virtual reality losing the bond with the physical stimuls in favour of those from the digital spectrum.

My photography explores the image in the process of dissolution. By deconstructing the tropes of an a image, I seek the conceptual fabric within it which gives births to endless realities and visual possibilities. The digital world which exist only as possibility, as a paint made of simulacra (a play with “something” like that, but not really that) facilitates such explorations. 

Managing the failure of materialization, we get down to the repeating conceptual structure of pixels which is the actual material of my works – a reproduction of the simulacrum itself. 

Digital Autism

In my videos, I show that single creative process in which I simultaneously compose my music and paint my paintings.
В моих видео я показываю тот единый креативный творческий процесс, в котором я одновременно сочиняю мою музыку и рисую мои картины.
Dans mes vidéos, je montre ce processus créatif unifié dans lequel je compose simultanément ma musique et je peins mes peintures.

ELENA GANTCHIKOVA'S PAINTINGS & MUSIC LA PEINTURE ET LA MUSIQUE D'ÉLENA GANTCHIKOVA МУЗЫКА И КАРТИНЫ ЕЛЕНЫ ГАНЧИКОВОЙ 2

Elena Gantchikova's paintings & music. La peinture et la musique d'Élena Gantchikova. Музыка и картины Елены Ганчиковой

I firstly painted Octopus's tentacles on a second hand Japanese kimono, using a gold paint for fabric. I then took pictures of me wearing the kimono, acting like an octopus does.

Empathy

Window to the world 
Starting Date: 04/05/2020
Objective: Block the opening of the window by wrapping a very thin silk thread around a frame.

Sound by Mattia Davide Amico from @kodaly.app
Every part corresponds to a different phase of the sun.


Window to the world

‘Plexus’ is an ongoing photographic case study through archival still lifes, highlighting the effects of inherited trauma and postmemory, and providing a familiar terrain to explore the influence of the family on psychological and cultural processes within history. In this work, I investigate the complex routes of my ancestors using my family home and archive. Finding documents and artifacts which lost their history and became indecipherable, I add my own narrative to what is left unknown, to create a metaphor transgressing personal and national boundaries.

When attempting to reconnect these fragments, the term 'remembering' becomes literal: I piece together the limbs of a body of events I have never fully seen or experienced, to understand the past, the present, and ultimately, the impact this kind of baggage has had on myself and the world around me. I use the objects and architecture of the house as parabolic proxies, turning them into gates connecting the past and the present. This creation of dream-like environments and symbols interlinks all that is remembered and simultaneously forgotten.

Even though history never repeats in the same way, I can observe cyclical patterns reappearing, and catch myself repeating the behaviours of my mother and grandmother that so greatly influenced me. Creating a new sense of identity by confronting the past, spanning across four generations, provides grounds for a detailed investigation of postmemory, mental health, war, and history.
__

'Plexus' was scheduled to be shown in a solo exhibition at Palazzo Rasponi 2 in Ravenna, at the Sony World Photography Awards in London, at the International Photofestival in Leiden, and in an exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery. All shows have been moved now to an indefinite date.

The continuation of the project has been disrupted by the pandemic, as I can not safely return to Germany to work at the moment.

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