Inside the Studio

Yuriy Ibragimov

Favorite material to work with?
I prefer to work mostly on linen, but from time to time I use wood panels for my encaustic.

What themes do you pursue?
Mostly realistic with a bit of abstract.

How many years as an artist?
Scary to say over 30 years.

Where is your studio?
In Queens, New York.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
“Artists keep drawing.”

Art school or self-taught?
I went to a fine arts institute in Russia, where I received my Masters in Fine Art and History.

Prefer to work with music or in silence?
Definitely music.

Where can we find you outside the studio?
That’s a interesting question; you would probably have to give me a call.

What’s around the corner from your place?
Forest Park.

If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?
Be a musician, perhaps.

What do you collect?
I’m not really much of a collector. I do have tons of music records and art history books.

Favorite contemporary artist?
I would consider Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud, and to be up-to-date, Jenny Seville.

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
That’s tough; it would definitely be an old Italian master. Perhaps something from the Renaissance period.

Who are your favorite writers?
Dostoyevsky, Hermann Hesse, and Erich Maria Remarque.

Is painting dead?
I don’t think painting will ever be dead. If you think outside the box, you can always come with something that will intrigue a real art lover. Painting is a great way to express yourself.

Palette knifes?
I use palette knifes quite often, especially with encaustics.

Favorite brush?
Can’t say I have a favorite. Each brush is meant to do something specific; if it satisfies my idea on canvas then that’s the brush that is my favorite at that moment.

Use anything other than paint?
I use hot and cold waxes on canvas. Sometimes I incorporate collages. I also work with pastels on paper.

Monet or Manet?
Totally different artists and I love them both. But I would say Manet relates to me in a figurative sense and Monet inspires me as a master colorist.