Art is the way. It is the way of seeing, feeling and making. No matter how far you are on that way, or what direction you go, the important part is always the same -- to see, to feel, to make.

For me it is sculpture. I didn't choose it, rather it has chosen me. One day I tried to make something from clay and it turned out to be a complete figure of a man together with his hat, coat and shoes. He was sleeping in an armchair with his hat covering his face. Very realistic and lively. Why? I didn't know then, so I didn't allow myself to delve into free art and spent many years showing this way to others, specifically, kids and teachers.

I developed a new type of clay classes for small kids which I called "Playing Clay". We make simple toys from clay, and play with them right away, adding more along the way. The method incorporates ideas of art therapy and play therapy and is widely used in ceramics and kids' studios of Moscow and other cities in Russia. I published a book on this method in a major publishing house.

Finally, a couple of years ago, I asked myself why I don't do the same that I teach the others. I couldn't help returning to the point where it all started. It was time to wake up that old man of clay. And I started to turn my feelings and seeings into this soft natural material.

My first attempts were rather simple and easy to make. Also, I decided to stick to clay as my main material because of its pliability and natural touch. Working with bare hands is very important for me. The movement of my fingers and the palm of my hand gives me so much inspiration.

Now, I study realistic sculpture and human and animal anatomy. It helps me to implement my emotions and sense of beauty into recognizable forms. Nature gives us all the common language of bodily forms which we are all used to see and admire.

Sculpture for me is about movement.
Movement of my hands, movement of your eyes, movement of our souls. Physical resemblance is just one of the ways in which this motion can be expressed. When you look at my works, try to feel the movement that inspired them.