Artist Statement Nature is like a very old and wise colleague and a partner by whom I learn to create. Instructor, mentor, tutor, advisor, these are the roles of nature. My challenge is to let nature pass through my eye, my heart, my soul, and my hand, to reinterpret her in a new way that no one has ever done before. There is no new imagery in nature. There are only new ways of interpretation. When I am in the process of creating a painting or remembering what I have seen, I feel like I am having a conversation with nature. For some people, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies are symbols of power and wealth. But for me the values of these stones are not material, but artistic. My paintings are items of luxury because they carry artistic beauty, health, and education as well as a sense of nature’s abundant power. From ancient times stones have preserved the mysteries of nature. Stones enchant; magic and healing powers are accredited to them. I’ve always wanted to show the world that gemstones are not just for jewelry. For me a stone is a living thing. They visit me in my dreams. This is my world, made from precious fragments of gems. Like insects trapped in the heart of amber I suspend my thoughts in these delicate compositions for later generations to see. |
Ilya Schar
Visual Artist United States |