Artistic Endeavors at AUBG




The AUBG student body consists of a plethora of individuals with a variety of skill sets and talents. Sprinkled among our student body, there are several budding artists who agreed to share their experiences and works with AUBG Daily.

Our first student is Diana Taranova, a Ukranian second-year student, who has been drawing since her very early childhood.

"It is gonna sound really generic but I started doing it when I was a kid. Probably as long as I remember myself I was always drawing. For holidays and my birthday, as a kid, I would not receive any toys but I would receive art supplies."

Diana's Landscape Piece | From the Personal Archive of Diana Taranova.

Our second student, Sevgi Molaali is a Bulgarian ELI student who has also been drawing from a young age and holds a great passion for creating art. Both Molaali and Taranova had certain periods when they gave up on drawing for one reason or another. As Molaali explained, she stopped drawing in her middle school years as a result of a negative remark about her art from her art teacher. Years later, she stumbled upon some of her drawings from her preschool years when Molaali said to herself "okay, why should I let a comment distract me from what I do, not because I have an exhibition or something, but because I love it." From that moment on, Molaali has not stopped drawing.

From the Personal Archive of Sevgi Molaali

Taranova expressed similar sentiments with regards to her hiatus from drawing.

"I really wish I had started doing this earlier or I had not given up. I stopped doing it for about 5 years or so [...] I just wish I would not stop. Right now I would be just as great as those other twenty-year-old artists who I look up to."

Bulgarian second-year student, Petar Hristakiev, also shared his experience with AUBG Daily. He has also been interested in art for a long time, initially getting into it because his sister was an avid drawer and he was fascinated by that.

"I have never taken any lessons or classes so I may call myself an amateur because I do things myself," explained Hristakiev, "For sure I know when a painter draws a face, he starts with proportions or something like that but I will start with the eyes. I know that is not right but it is easier for me. And it gives it a little bit of a personal touch. When someone sees it, they might recognize [that it is my piece]. It gives a uniqueness to it."

Each student also shared their favorite pieces with us and the meaning behind the said drawings.

Diana's sketch of her wife| From the Personal Archive of Diana Taranova.

When asked to explain this piece, Taranova commented, "Does it even deserve to be called a piece of art? I have this sketch that I made of my wife when she fell asleep on a Facetime call and I just drew her while she was sleeping. I think it is the best portrait I have ever tried drawing[...] I do not know how I managed to do it so well but I just love it and I am really proud of myself."

“Free Yourself” Splatter Painting| From the Personal Archive of Sevgi Molaali.

Molaali explained, "It is a bit abstract. My father calls it just '[a] splash of paint' or '[a] waste of material' [...] For me, it's not maybe the most beautiful painting ever or something like that, but while I was drawing it I was freeing myself. I did not have the stigma of 'oh that is wrong' or 'no, do not do that' [...] I just let my hands do the work and get everything out. I call it 'Free Yourself.'"

Petar Hristakiev's self-portrait | From the Personal Archive of Petar Hristakiev.

Hristakiev said, "I made a painting of myself, kind of. I used two small separate canvases and I drew my eyes. I used a photo and on this particular photo, one of my eyes was exposed to light and it was kind of whiter, like a different color. And I tried to use that. It was really interesting because it is like two different eyes and when they are near to each other, it looks really interesting."

Each student also had different inspirations. Taranova cited Taylor Lee as one of her favorite artists. Taylor Lee is "a bipolar artist who is also an advocate for mental health. What she does is basically she draws abstract flowers and they are just really pretty and full of color and they radiate life."

Molaali derives inspiration from the world around herAs she said, "The one that keeps me going is Nature and my life itself. Everything around us is art."

"I really like Van Gogh because I like the way he draws with strokes," said Hristakiev, "I try to use that technique sometimes. It kinda looks easy but it is not. He has his own personal style. You can recognize it is his even if you do not know the piece. I want to achieve that. I do not want to imitate anyone, I want to achieve my own personal style."

Each artist expressed their respective views on the notion of "talent" and its association with art and shared a relatively similar sentiment.

As  Taranova stated, "Talent is definitely just a lot of time, practice, and also liking what you do [...] People are born with a predisposition to like something. Like you can be born and have preferences to draw or paint or play sports [...] but drawing is definitely a skill that you can work on."

Molaali also pointed out, "If you work hard on it, everything is achievable. You just have to love it."

Hristakiev best demonstrated this by sharing his first attempt at oil paintings and comparing it with his most recent piece.

Peter Hristakiev's Attempt at Painting Jennifer Lawrence | From the Personal Archive of Peter Hristakiev.

Petar Hristakiev's most recent painting | From the Personal Archive of Petar Hristakiev.

"I started painting with oils last year and I was really good with pencils but it was terrible. It looked like someone from kindergarten drew it. But then I drew another one and another one and eventually I got better. And I consider it an improvement. Do not give up. If one enjoys it, that should be enough."

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