There is currently a lot of new interesting new work being in the field of illustration. Many new artists are exploring their abilities in the craft, creating new trends, and forming a new generation of talent.
Materials like pencils, paints, paper, or even plants or have been available to us for many years, but now they are taking on a new meaning, and being used in ways we previously couldn’t even imagine. Anastasia Kovaleva discovered a new way of using plants in illustration art, experimented with them to find new looks within the chosen techniques.
Anastasia Kovaleveva is a botanical and mixed media artist based in Wrocław, Poland. Her technique is based on nature and everything that nature so generously gives us. She uses pressed flowers, foliage, and many other materials that are found in woodlands, roadsides, and gardens of Poland.
Her work is deeply imaginative and very delicate, inspired by organic forms, colors, and shapes found in the natural world. Her style combines organic materials and traditional mediums to create a unique look. She has been fascinated with botanical art since early childhood and attended Floral and Pressed flower design courses as an extracurricular activity all throughout her school years.
She went to college and graduated as an accountant, but several years later realized that her passion was in creating art. Several years later she graduated from Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland. She is a winner of multiple International pressed flower competitions in Japan and South Korea.
“I started creating floral collages about 17 years ago. I quickly fell in love with the little studio I worked at, all of the different and unusual materials made it like a treasure chest for me, and I fell in love with my teacher Irina, who opened that wonderful world for me and shared with me her love and respect for natural materials.”
“I didn’t realize that I would gain a lifelong passion there and a dear friend. During this time I’ve been able to incorporate graphic designs and elements of sculpture into my work, and introduce bright colors and different backgrounds while still relying on natural materials as the base for everything I do. ”
Her artworks feature different topics: animals, birds, portraits, botanical illustrations, landscapes, and many others. She works in the traditional Oshibana technique, creates modern floral collages, and botanical illustrations.
You will never find the same leaf twice, and that is why each leaf is such a treasure. There is no painting in her floral illustrations. her works emphasize small details of certain elements to each piece is exquisitely crafted with great love and attention to materials.
“For me, the process of creating illustrations from plants is a form of magic as well. It starts at nothing, but suddenly gains volume and shadow, and becomes alive. Unusual natural materials, pressed flowers or paper when manipulated, transform into three-dimensional sculptures and timeless objects.”
Work with natural materials is a very time-consuming process from the beginning to the end. It takes a long time to find and preserve.
“When I prepare pressed flowers and leaves I lay them out between the pages, I have to turn them as they dry and make sure they keep their natural colors. I have to touch every piece many times before using them in my art works. Dry leaves and flowers are very delicate and have to be handled with care. It’s a very painstaking way to work but I enjoy it very much.”
Her main inspiration comes from nature. She likes to take a walk in the park and look for new flowers and leaves. So she usually spends much time preparing flowers and tending to them as they dry.
“I can find something in a walk or a picture. Sometimes the smallest flower or leaf can inspire the entire project. My head is constantly filled with ideas and images. I can wake up with a picture in my mind that I have to realize, sometimes I rough sketch it, sometimes I know exactly what I need and start the project right away. I like to explore different materials and my ability to use them in different ways”
She can show people that something very ordinary, something they might walk by every day without noticing, can become art. Mixing her own techniques with different elements of illustration art allows showing a new way to express pressed flower art, share her love and passion, introduce new materials and techniques.
To see more of her incredible works please visit her website and follower her Instagram page.