Description
"Figure and Portrait" by Michael Solovyev This 3 day workshop will be held in the studio upstairs from our Malvern store at 1310 Malvern Road. Friday, Saturday, Sunday 25th to 27th of August 2023, from 10am to 4pm each day. Limited to 15 places only. Born in Russia in 1972, Michael Solovyev has chosen Montréal, Canada as his home since 2011. Michael is often called a “sunny watercolorist” – his airy, transparent artworks look as though they emit the sunlight. His traditional academic art education, extensive experience as a head theater stage designer, and oil painter career now inform his priority as a watercolor artist – light. His main belief is that sometimes even a pile of rubbish with beautiful lighting can become an artwork. Michael is a watercolor artist of great renown, with exhibitions and workshops all over the world, from Bolivia to France to Australia. Watercolor is the most interesting medium to Michael because it is the only material on the whole planet where he is not solely responsible for the creative process. The water does most of the work. Rather than working alone, he forms a partnership with it. Watercolor is exactly like theater – a collective co-creation of actors, directors, composers, lighting techs, artists working in unison. With oil, one is solely responsible for everything – what one did will stay this way. Watercolor, on the other hand, flows, it exists in time, it is an alive being. It does not always produce results Michael necessarily wants, but since it is his partner, he must accept it, use it, and work together. It makes the process of co-creation truly interesting. In all other branches of visual arts, this element is missing. Watercolor is the only medium that exists in time, where materials permeate one another, and it makes the process feel alive.
by Des L.
Michael is a highly talented and knowledgeable artist and passionate teacher of watercolour. However I found the conduct of our workshop by Senior Art lacking in some areas. Firstly, Bec was not helpful when I contacted Senior's to ask a couple of questions about the workshop. I was treated as something of a nuisance and when I questioned by email the wisdom of treating the workshop like a product and seeking a feedback on the Solovyev workshop weeks before I had attended it, Bec's response was OK but you didn't need to send an email about it! During the three days I saw no-one representing Senior Art. There didn't appear to be anyone acting as organiser of the workshop, who might have checked on how things were going. Thirdly, the kitchen area was 'grotty'. I could not bring myself to have a cup of tea. Finally I don't think Michael was accorded the respect that a master-level member of the International Watercolour Society should have been. He did not seem to have a list of na
