We spoke with the artist a month after her successful exhibition in Veliko Tarnovo. The exhibition, titled "Magic", opened at the Hadji Nikoli Inn on the 5th and ran until July 25th (after being extended). You will learn more about Petya Konstantinova, about art and about everyday "magic" from her answers...
How and when did you decide to present your works in Veliko Tarnovo?
The idea has been brewing for years, but the plans for an exhibition in the boyar city were realized thanks to a family from Tarnovo, whom I met at my Plovdiv exhibition in December last year. Dani and Maya are the main “culprits” for the exhibition to happen, as they took the entire organizational initiative and made the connection between me and the Hadji Nikoli Inn. After that, things happened quickly – we chose a date, scheduled an opening and lo and behold – the exhibition happened!
What are your "Magic"? What prompted the choice of the name of the exhibition?
Usually, when I prepare an exhibition, I do not subordinate the paintings I paint to any special theme, but leave it to intuition and mood. The title comes at the end – I try to insert the general mood of the works into it. The “magic” here are those moments that make us stop and smile: to “jump” for a moment to childhood and remember the taste of early cherries, to steal a weekend by the beach – be it in a caravan or in a tent under the open sky, to sink into the melody of a favorite song.
Last year I was at a concert by the Bulgarian choir "The Angels" - a cappella performances of Bulgarian folk songs... The experience was incredible! I had never felt such a strong emotion before - sometimes it grabs you by the throat and fills your eyes with tears, sometimes it gently sways you in its melody and you feel warm and light, light... you feel like a tiny speck of dust in the air.
"Magic" are the songs of the street musician who seems to cross your path at just the right time and the words in his song seem to be just for you. These are the little magics - supposedly quite ordinary everyday things, but they caress your soul.
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To what extent is the blending of the realistic and the imaginary in your painting process conscious or desired and sought? What is the place of the everyday and the magical in your paintings?
When I paint, I often let my emotions take over and the plot in the painting arranges itself in the process of creating it. Sometimes it's an incident I've seen - a boy and a girl drinking coffee at neighboring tables in a student cafe and I think to myself: "Ah, these guys are going to start talking right now!"... Then they'll talk, they will. Then it'll get dark and before they know it, they'll be in love. Then... then they might even get married and have 3 children - Yavor, Kalina and Boyana. And that's how I invent people's lives (and they might not even talk at all). And as I imagine it, that's how I paint it.
And sometimes I just start with a line and build the entire drawing on the first shape of the leaf, without any prior idea. And about the magical – it is in everyday life, but we don't always have eyes for it. It's as if we don't always vibrate at the same frequency with the magic. And when you're in love – then everything seems like magic to you! You see beautiful signs everywhere around you and your soul flies, flies...
And why Prague? Why the houses, the cats, the costumes?
Prague happened unexpectedly, with a job offer to my husband four years ago. When he was invited to move there, we started thinking and realized that we knew almost nothing about Prague, we didn't know anyone there and we didn't know if we would cope with such a big change. But the only way to find out is to try. After all, we can always come back if we decide to... And that's how things happened. We've been there for four years now. We don't make plans about whether or how long we'll stay, whether we'll change direction, when we'll return. The thought that we're there temporarily gives me a sense of ease, and at the same time, this "temporariness" motivates us to travel more, to use the advantages of geography to visit countries near and far. (For example, Estonia is on the other side of Europe and from Bulgaria a car trip seems endless, but if you start from Prague it's quite achievable with an overnight stay in the middle of the road.)
The story, the message, the mood… What determines your approach, technique, and even the application of the stroke?
Maybe it's the mood I'm in when I sit down in front of the page?! It depends on it whether the black will predominate, or whether it will be bright and colorful.
Regardless of the theme, motives, idea, your works are recognizable. Does the style define the artist or vice versa?
I think that in the beginning it is the person who creates. From him begins what will appear – be it on a sheet of paper, a notebook, or a musical staff.
Your paintings sometimes sneak references to literary texts. Considering your education, how do you combine visual and verbal art?
Foreign texts are often a source of inspiration and references to them come naturally. Words and images are simply different ways of expressing emotion and thoughts.
"Magic" also includes a cookbook with your illustrations. When did the interest in such a project arise? How did the work on it proceed and what does the drawing contribute?
The first illustrated recipe appeared almost ten years ago in the internal newsletter of the company I worked for. My task was to prepare the publication and, in addition to the specialized technical information in it, I had the freedom to choose the content of the last two pages. At that time, the company office was almost out of town and my colleagues and I had lunch together in a spacious kitchen. During these lunches, recipes and advice were often exchanged, and that's when I got the idea to draw them in the form of recipes in the newsletter.
Over time, the recipes accumulated, were transferred to a Facebook page and thus easily and quickly reached their audience. The comments on the page encouraged me to collect them in a book, and when the publishing house "Potayniche" offered to realize this idea - things happened quickly and easily, and the book is now a fact. Working with the publisher greatly facilitated the preparation process, since the production of a book is a much different process than drawing a recipe. The choice of format, printing, design, arrangement in printing presses - all these are new and unfamiliar processes for me, and here the role of the publisher is leading. And what does the drawing contribute? I hope it makes the presentation of a recipe more interesting and fun.
How does the text reflect on the image depicted by other means? What are the books or writers that influence you?
Text, music, drawing – everything interacts. Sometimes the music provokes the image, sometimes the image – the text, the text – the music. At certain moments, certain influences are stronger. I am affected by texts in which I discover my own thoughts and recognize emotions. Texts and music with which we are in the same rhythm at a given moment. At my different ages, the texts and authors have been different and it will be difficult for me to list them all. I will “frame” the beginning – with my first favorite children's book “Fridolin” by Franz Kaspar and “Memories” by David Foenkinos, which I accidentally discovered last year and often recognize my thoughts between its pages.
You also illustrate other, foreign works. Tell us about your experience with books, authors, publishing houses. And maybe magazines, cards, and calendars?
In recent years I have been working with a Czech publishing house and making illustrations for their fairy tale books. At first it was a lot of fun because I didn’t speak the language well. The publisher and I would sit down for a coffee, take out the book and start reading the fairy tales. He would translate, and I would sketch the illustrations and mark the moments to be drawn. We must have been an interesting sight – old people reading fairy tales in a cafe and scribbling something in a red notebook.
I also work for other publishing houses, but I found that I have a hard time working with foreign texts, and if there is no "glue" between the text and the drawing - it simply doesn't work. Sometimes publishing houses contact me to use an already finished drawing, and then it's easy. I have also drawn illustrations on a free theme - recently a Romanian children's magazine commissioned me to draw a cover on a free theme. The result was a very "feline" colorful cover.
When I worked in the advertising department of a company, I made the annual corporate calendar. Back then, I used other people's illustrations or ordered them (I still had no idea that one day I would have my own original calendar, but I dreamed about it). When I received my first copyright fee a year later (it was related to the design of a corporate website), I had promised myself that I would put it in my calendar. And so the first copyright calendar appeared. And after the first time, it's easier. Once you go down the path, the next time is easier. And so I've been making my own calendar for the seventh year, and almost every year a company contacts me and orders me to draw their company calendar.
When and why did you turn to art? How did your ten years of experience in another field – PR in a commercial company, working with advertising – affect you?
I consciously turned to drawing 6 years ago, when I left the office environment to take a break from the stress accumulated there. At that time, I thought I would take a break for a few months, “recharge my batteries” and return to the field of advertising. But things developed in a completely different direction. While resting, I drew a lot. I now had time for this pleasure. On the advice of my friends, I created a Facebook page.
This turned out to be an opportunity to show my work outside my circle of friends. While I was sending out CVs to different companies and wondering how to proceed, an opportunity for an exhibition came up. The first exhibition led to a second… The first orders came, a book cover, a veterinary clinic calendar… This gave me the confidence to try to continue in this direction.
After philology and advertising, between the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, in travels and exhibitions, what "magic" awaits you and what do you wish would come true?
The best magic comes unexpectedly. Last year I tried to make plans and travel, and everything fell through for the most unexpected reasons. This year I let things happen naturally and everything good is welcome. And the little “magic” happens with small steps: an impulsive jump to the sea, an unexpected dear friend visiting, a letter on paper, a night in a tent… and autumn, my beloved, is yet to come!
You can find more of Petya Konstantinova's "magic" on her website: petyakonsantinova.com
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