Gena Ivanov

About The Artist

Gena Ivanov exhibited at The Cut in the 2013 group show IMPERFECT PRESENT FUTURE PERFECT

My artist’s career started after graduating in the early 90s in Belarus. My paintings are about colour; life can be quite grey and I want my paintings to make people feel good. I like to work in different styles, particularly in the impressionist style and I prefer to work big. To work in different styles gives me the opportunity to find unusual and creative approaches to making a picture. I have always been quite experimental, trying different materials, paints and painting techniques, but the medium I prefer is oil paintings. I refer to it as fusion style.

My work has changed a lot since I left the USSR and settled in Norwich. The style I was taught in the USSR was very traditional and experimenting was not encouraged. I became accustomed to painting work for sale in my gallery, but ultimately I found this constraining. Studying for an M.A. in Fine Art at Norwich University of the Arts freed my work so that I have been able to develop some of my thinking and create a new pathway.