An Opportunity To Create Something Beautiful: Elena Saharova
Collage by Elena Saharova
Elena Saharova
Where are you from?
Cold Russia, Moscow
What got you into art and what made you start creating collage art?
I always had a huge inexplicable desire to do art.
Once one of my teachers said that everyone should draw in order to be able to throw out all the accumulated bad and good things in a day, week or month. But I had only a design education, not an academic art education; I lacked the ability to paint pictures, like the great impressionists. And I found collages for myself as a way of self-expression, as an opportunity to create something beautiful.
Yes, collage is a way for me to express myself emotionally, while my work as designer does not allow me to express myself so freely, it always has background information and information that sets a certain framework for solving emerging problems. In creativity, there is no framework and no tasks, it is more unconscious, what worries you, what overwhelms you and what is inseparable from you.
Your work is very tactile, is it a nice break away from creating digitally?
I have been working as a digital designer for 12 years and the ability to create something tangible allows you to translate these ideas into digital space. Nevertheless, the digital environment is always the borrowing of forms, objects and their behaviors from the physical environment, so it is very important to develop skills in working with space and objects in the real world, not the digital one, then you have the texture, behavior and reaction of these objects to each other and for the author himself, as well as the viewer - in a digital environment, objects are dead, motionless, lifeless, they come to life only with the help of technology, while physical objects have properties and characters in themselves.
You have such a great way of pairing colors and textures in an abstract way, what is your process?
First, I determine the main figure of the collage, it can be either a photograph or a large bright piece of colored paper, pasting it - I determine what the composition will be central, triangular or diagonal ... After that I begin to recreate a certain world around the main object, trying to select other pieces in texture are comparable to the main object, sometimes it may not be obvious to the viewer where the main object is, but for me this piece is always in the collage, the whole composition is built around it and the final touches are expressively applied line markers or acrylic paint. Putting the finishing touches is pure Tashism, unconsciously, by eye in a split second.
What mediums do you use in your work? Which do you start with?
I like to make collages on a sketchbook. It is like a book or a chronicle of my emotions. Also sometimes I make large format collages on sheets up to 1 meter wide. My materials are mostly magazines and acrylic markers, sometimes I make blanks, that is, I put strokes on some of the most attractive pages of magazines or textured colored paper, then when you tear these pages for a collage and paste pieces on top of each other, the feeling of layering will intensify due to torn strokes, independent on each of the pieces.
Collage by Elena Saharova
Collage by Elena Saharova
Late winter dawn against the background of high-rise buildings, an advertisement flashed from a car window on a road banner, the smell of lemon toothpaste before bedtime. I try to absorb everything that happens to me, recycle and give it a new visual life.
Collage by Elena Saharova
We love that you incorporate bold type In contrast with abstract lines, different patterns and people. where do you source the material?
Usually, after traveling, my suitcase is half full of leaflets, newspapers, leaves and other garbage that can be taken out of the country, and which has some specific meaning for me. Most often, I pick up free magazines and newspapers from cafes, cinemas and museums, both on trips and in my city. This is another emotional connection between me and my work.
Where do you draw inspiration from when you're creating?
I’ve a rule - make at least one collage every day. My sketchbook is a kind of diary containing the imprints of a lived day. Therefore, inspiration for me is life itself. Late winter dawn against the background of high-rise buildings, an advertisement flashed from a car window on a road banner, the smell of lemon toothpaste before bedtime. I try to absorb everything that happens to me, recycle and give it a new visual life.
Is music a big part of your creative process? If so, name 5 songs you're listening to at the moment.
If there was one artist/person you could collaborate with, who would that be? (dead or alive)
I like a lot from what is being created at present, I really like the work of Jack Davison and his photographs are beautiful on their own, but I would really like to do something together, to get to know his creative world more closely. Alison Mosshart, Xavier Dolan, are my idols from the distant 2008 and working with them is my personal dream. If we talk about those who no longer live, then surely this is one of the most important artist for me, Mark Rothko, when I saw his work at age 12, I realized that I want to feel and interpret life circumstances just as subtly.
What kind of emotions do you express in your work?
It can be both positive emotions and sadness from past troubles. In any case, I try to create unconsciously. Pouring out only feelings into the collage without including reasoning and analysis of what happened to me. The less reflection - the more honest and expressive the collage will turn out.
What advice do you have for someone who is passionate about something, but has no idea how or where to start?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because every mistake brings you closer to the result you want to get. Not always inspiration is required to create art. More often the sequence changes and you get a boost of inspiration after the result of your creativity. This is a chain of "inspiration-work-result", and you can start it from any point. Remember that. Don’t wait for inspiration, provoke it.
Photo via Elena Saharova