May 2004
Ivan Pazlamatchev
Airmont, New York
ipazlamatchev@yahoo.comArtist Statement:
In my current paintings, I am using textile articles that were spun, dyed and woven by members of my family in the last two centuries. I hand sew them into the shapes that I need for each composition and apply them in combination with thickly textured acrylic paints. Together they create the foreground for the little scenes - representational compositions, inspired by world mythologies, traditions and folk rituals - that accentuate the abstract essence in the paintings.As an artist, born in Bulgaria, the Balkan mythologies have played an important role in my work. In my paintings I draw from these sources and in a way evoke a different mythical world, while teasing the contemporary western viewer with hints of their own way of seeing things.
