Dmitry and Yulia ~ The Creative Genius Behind ArtLap
Здравствуйте Addictees!
July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day, Frida Kahlo and Marc Chagall's birthday, Mr and Mrs Addicted's (yes us) wedding anniversary and, it's also the day we officially welcome ArtLap to the Addicted family - a Russian Mr and Mrs (Dmitry and Yulia Lapatini) living in the lushness that is Koh Samui. It's all happening today! Singha's and vodka shots all 'round!
The stars aligned five years ago when Yulia and Dmitry met on the island paradise only a few months after they both arrived in Thailand – she, for a sales and marketing job in the luxury real estate sector, he, for a change of pace after many intense years spent working as a computer scientist. It was this meeting that led to the duo becoming full time artists and, well, married.
'Blindness' is the couple’s first collaboration together.
“I had a dream where I could see nothing and everything at the same time. I was walking on a street where everything was white. I heard city noise, saw and felt the shapes of buildings, and could see every facial feature of the people I met as I passed by. The brightness was dazzling, blinding.
“When I woke up to the normal world full of colour, I yearned to see only one colour again, and its unique palette undiluted by surrounding elements. I spoke to Dmitry about this dream and we discussed the role of vision and the impact of colour tones. We were so absorbed by the theme that we decided to create a series around it, and Blindness was born.” - Yulia, ArtLap
The series is a study in colour and texture where wood chips and paint in primary hues have been combined. The resulting textured mixture covers the frame’s surface as well as all the edges giving the artwork an additional visual volume.
Blindness Series
"Blindness 1" by ArtLap, acrylic paint and woodchips on box canvas, 2018
Arty-Fact: Red is the colour of life. The moment of creation and birth. The instance of violent death. Red is the colour of love, from tender rose, through passionate, screaming red, to ripe burgundy. Red is the colour of creation, enlightening as Danko’s heart, maximizing the strength of feelings and singularity of each artwork.
“I love bright red drinks, don’t you? They taste twice as good as any other colour.” - L.M. Montgomery
"Blindness 2" by ArtLap, acrylic paint and woodchips on box canvas, 2018
Arty-Fact: Blue has no bottom, it never ends, it drags into itself, intoxicates. Blue speaks to your spirit, not to your feelings. This is a colour of value. Blue draws you through the loss of reality and dreaming towards breathable blue peace and serenity.
“Let the blue of the sky and ocean take your blue away when you feel blue.” - Munia Khan
"Blindness 3" by ArtLap, acrylic paint and woodchips on box canvas, 2018
Arty-Fact: Yellow is the colour closest to light. In its purity it always implies the nature of brightness and has a cheerful and serene character. Yellow breathes vitality into everything and everyone. Yellow brings joyful freedom to both artist and spectator.
“Yellow is capable of charming God.” - Vincent Van Gogh
"Blindness 4" by ArtLap, acrylic paint and woodchips on box canvas, 2018
Artsy: Despite all the desire of this series to purify our concentration on one colouronly using it as a filter, we understand this is not the way it happens in real life where everything is messed up, mixed, chaotically shaken. There are thousands of destructions to our view. Life graduations are uncountable. Even then, our eyes find a way to see the beauty of this daily non-stop routine.
"Blindness 5" by ArtLap, acrylic paint and woodchips on box canvas, 2018
Arty-Fact: Living our busy lives, nothing prevents us from dreaming of the serenity that one day we can achieve. This painting is very close and opposite at the same time to the artwork Blindness 4. It is also represented by a mix of colours, this time in a slightly lighter palette showing the efforts we input in order to make the change happen.
There is still a long way to go before achieving the origin. But we are pushed by a burning desire to return to white. That is why these five artworks represent only the beginning of the 'Blindness' series.
This is your chance to add some Russian made, Thai born, abstract art to your collection Addictees. If you'd like to learn a little more about the duo, click here.
And now, we kick off our shoes, sit back, sip on a White Russian and chillax to the tunes of Moby's Porcelain wishing we were on a beach in Thailand (with or without Leonardo DiCaprio)...
Before we leave you Addictees, some words of wisdom from the movie The Beach (because we're deep and meaningful like that):
"I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something. And if you find that moment... it lasts forever." - Richard
Until the next one...
Blair & El xox