Tatiana Ospennikova

Tatiana is an artist based in Riga, Latvia. She became a painter in Moscow, where she got her academic education in several art schools, including the Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts. But the city that formed her artistic signature was Saint Petersburg, a cultural capital of Russia as they call it. There she met her mentee and made her way into galleries and private collections. For many years her main source of income was oil on canvas portraits – she was risking becoming one of many old school painters, sinking into routine of portraits’ commissions. Yet she rediscovered painting as a digital artist and illustrator. Switching to digital art made her works less academic, she learnt that the artist’s perception of the model is no less important than a trained eye. Tatiana works both as a digital and a classic artist now. Among the exhibitions she has taken part in recently are events in Vienna, London, Istanbul, and Saint-Petersburg.

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In my artworks I try to find balance between colours and contrast, shapes and vibrance, structure and inner vision. I started with academic painting, focusing on portraits, and was greatly influenced by Saint Petersburg art school. The mystery of people’s faces, especially the children’s, has always been a source of great inspiration to me. I would treat every face like a puzzle that needs to be solved, admiring each trait and imperfection. With the time I found that a portrait is more of a reflection of its owner’s emotions, fears, and expectations, rather than the right combination of lines and shapes. I gradually drifted towards digital art and illustration, the simplicity and straightforwardness of which I absolutely admire.