Inside the Kremlin wall there is another Russia. The oriental one, with its incredible mixture of buildings and richly decorated ornaments. My friend mentioned, it feels a little bit like Damascus.
We've been in Zunge design's studio today. Its art-director Protey Temen answered our students' questions. And while they were busy I was hanging around investigating all the corners of the studio. Things couldn't be better.
The main thing for me in the illustrations is freedom. This Saturday we've been visiting the exhibition of Die Brücke association of artists and it was nearly magic. Their works are fearfully wild and absolutely perfect.
It's the beginning of the studying year. Tutoring Level 2 students on Saturdays should be nice.
I like cardboard - it's cheap, ecologically friendly and has so nice colour and texture I can't resist. That's why the day I got the book of poems of Artur Givargizov "We're very much alike" stuck in my mind. It is illustrated by Ivan Alexandrov and all the pictures and titles and page numbers are made of cardboard. I've seen the original tiny cardboard sculptures made specially for the book the day before yesterday. More illustrations from it here.
The only way to buy foreign books here is to go to this store. But their narrow range of choice doesn't let me visit it more often than twice a year. Nearly useless, but lovely inside.
It's rainy for the third day. We went to the exhibition of children's book illustrators. I'll tell about it later. Seems this blog will be mostly about picture books sooner or later. Hope it's ok.
Today was the opening of Tim Yarzhombeck's exhibition "The Potato Riders". I've got one of his posters called "Beard Alphabet". It's good to know more about beards.
I was going to buy this book for almost a year and finally made it. We don't have much well drawn picture books here in Russia. Most of them are just reprinted copies of the old masters or adapted foreign picture books. That's why this book of Oksana is so important to me.
On my way to the International Moscow Book Fair I came across some small Crafts Fair. To be honest I don't like such places - usually they're full of fake souvenirs for tourists. But today I found these amazing embroidered towels and penny whistle bird made by seven-year-old boy. Had to grab it as a reminder that anything goes and everything is possible.
Trying to find something new. It's funny to observe old skills from a new perspective.
Cyrillic cursive is the most beautiful thing I saw on the Golden Bee exhibition. Now I wonder why I'm blogging in English? Russian looks so beautiful.
Prince Silencio by Anne Herbauts. I feel I need to write something about it, but not today.
She compares the making of a book with construction of a railroad: "It is the narrative thread: it puts the rails, then let the reader choose the train. I start from the railway to see the space that I have to travel, locate the beginning and end, rhythm, speed up or slow down when I want".
