olha pryymak

A happy color train at the Hackney Downs station nearby my home in London.

My architect girlfriend confessed to me once that her biggest grief in work is dealing with the engineers, and how the cost efficiency and availability of materials dictate how buildings turn out to look like eventually. When going to school, in her mind, picking the architectural track was going to give her a good balance of creative and practical work, when in fact it all came down to negotiations with the builders.

Looking at the old buildings (those predating mass production and more or less the industrial revolution), I pause to think how much say did the architect have in shaping the way it looks. I would assume that the architectural craft was much more well regarded back in the days.

Today’s picture has both, the One New Exchange and a spear of a church in the background, tied together by a bright tube sign pole.

Another take on the Paddington station; an arriving train.

6×6 in, oil on panel, 2010, sold

It was great to meet and talk with the artists whom I shared the wall space at the Real show by Go Figurative last week. Today is the new beginning – I am painting a series of commissioned 6×6 scenes of London. The exercise went on to a good start when I got a large email brief on the commission. It included the list of favourite places in London from nearly all of the company’s employees where my paintings will be hung – a pretty personal experience for me to put in paint their most fondest places. Here is the first one: a  glimpse at Paddington station, particularly it’s magnificent roof designed by Brunel.

6×6 in, oil on panel, sold

Finished up a largest piece of work ever, measuring 165 cm wide, too late and dark at the moment to get a proper picture up, here’s just a shot of my paint box in relation to the painting to get the idea of its size.

I am leaving for a few weeks  to Belgium and then Ukraine and do not promise I will post regularly, be back in touch in November!

oil on canvas, 165×106 cm, 2009