Direct Painting

Sasha Sokolova’s dynamic compositions develop through intuition by letting her brushstrokes take the lead

Sasha Sokolova’s dynamic compositions develop through intuition by letting her brushstrokes take the lead

Ilove to paint from nature and I love the challenge of plein air, but with portraiture, I only work in the studio and I have to say it’s my favourite subject. It’s exciting when you not only show the likeness of a portrayed person but go deeper and show their real character and thoughts, so the viewer can know the person without having met them. My grandfather is an artist and my father is a photographer so my work methods reflect this. I am always taking photos, even just with my phone, sometimes for inspiration, sometimes for future reference. Other times I will shoot specifically for a series like this one. I used a high-end CSC camera and exposure bracketing to catch different details, shadows and structure. These photos become references for my

paintings, and for one painting, I might use dozens of photos together with my feelings. I usually don’t process the images, I just choose the ones I like straight out of the camera and then flip between different images as I work, taking highlights from different ones. Unlike many artists, I rarely do preparatory sketches in pencil or charcoal; I am more comfortable with the brush than a pencil and the way it moves on the canvas. My first strokes are about proportion and composition. I made hundreds of photos with different exposures, not only to catch the moment but different details, shades and colours, and the final work is always a collage of many references, my own memories of the scene and the abstract colours I change to emphasise my feelings. I already imagine the composition on the canvas and start painting in oil straight away. I like working directly on the canvas and finding the composition there, and if needed, changing it as I go. It never works for me on the smaller sketches; they don’t give you the sense of the scale, and I don’t like to repeat things. You lose the spontaneity. Usually the result is unknown when I start. It’s always a surprise because even during the process I am thinking what I can add to the composition in the moment, and I let the painting “lead” me. I was trained in oil and in watercolour and continue to paint in both media with the best materials I can find, like the Rembrandt range. Recently I have been trying water mixable oil paints, as I am often painting indoors and don’t like to use toxic solvents. Also these paints are easier to travel with and paint in plein air. At first I didn’t like them as they do handle differently and I was trying to do everything with just the pigments and water. It has taken me time to find a technique I am happy with—using a water mixable thinner and stand oil, not just water, to adjust the handling and drying times to better suit the way I work, and this is the first time I’ve done a whole series with these paints.

I think I will always paint in oil because of its versatility and it is both the most challenging and most rewarding medium for me. I basically use classical techniques I learnt in school and from my grandfather, who was a strict teacher. But the subject matter in this series is not something he would choose...at all! My philosophy in general is to create modern images using the heritage of traditional techniques, combining realism and simple, almost abstract forms. I concentrate to get the skin tones of my subject correct and try to capture their spirit and personality. Secondly, and particularly in this series, I adjust colours to be in harmony with the figure or composition, either to set a mood or make a contrast. I want the figures to “pop,” to stand out and really catch the viewer’s attention, and I try to create a focal point using the composition and colours. My pool series is about those sunny summer days in my dacha (country house) in a small village outside of Moscow, capturing the energy and feelings of carefree happy times of my childhood. When we built this modest pool in our yard, it really became the main attraction to all our neighbourhood friends (and cat). Everyone was dragged to it, gathering around the pool. I wanted to paint a series about this pool, and the energy of that season and moments. It’s proven to be very popular. In Russia, it’s grey and dark for a lot of the year and so summer is a really special time and you make the most of it. I wanted to preserve that and add colour to people’s lives year-round. I chose blocks of vibrant colours with energy as well as kind of transparent/ translucent bikinis, like the energy is going through you. I wanted to create a feeling that the girls are so into the joy they are experiencing, that they merge with the environment. Colour is a very strong tool as you can affect moods, so I tried to influence by colour without adding many details to the background. I am trying to say more without saying a lot by using simple effects like gradient and straight lines, and sometimes a simplified water texture. I am creating mood with colours—summer, joy and fun.

Pool 2, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm (28 x 39") I painted this piece in tandem with the one in the demo. This one features the heat and strength of the sunset, and I love the body position. I used a little bit of texture on the water to give the movement of water circles from the body breaking the surface. The water is very stylised yet still gives you the sense of reality. I think the distorted body under the water looks a little like it’s a mermaid.

Pool 1, oil on canvas, 80 x 100 cm (31 x 39") Here the girl is the only realistic part, and the pool deck is abstracted with the bright blue sky.

Pool 4, oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm (39 x 28") The pool, yoga mat and background grass are reduced and abstracted to rich parallel bands, with a gradient on the grass to add a sense of mysterious depth. The hair, by contrast, is very textured and twisting in the wind.