Oleskii Koval
Oleskii Koval was born on October 16th, 1977, in Kiev, Ukraine. He was addicted to art from his early school years. In 1996 he graduated from Republican School of Art by Taras Shevchenko (painting class) and continued his education at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, painting faculty (V. Zabashta`s workshop) from which he graduated in 2002. Beginning in 2000, Oleskii began working in what he considers a monumental art sphere, creating approximately 100 pieces of art in Ukraine and abroad, these are frescoes, mosaics, ornaments, drafts of stained-glass windows. He has collaborated with Ukrainian and foreign architects, in particular with S. Mirgorodskiy, U. Ostapenko, V. Zavgorodneva, K. Lubek, M. Bizatti in developing several projects.
Oleksii says about his work, “For a long time I was looking for the most appropriate technique which would help me to bring to life my ideas and harmonize with my affection. Destiny brought me to the hot enamel workshop of Ivan Kyrychenko in 2006. I immediately realized that this was what I was meant to do and continued investigating hot enamel methods till 2009 in private workshops in China, India and the EU. Every day and every moment we face many holistic words - countries, nature and its elements, humans or drops of water with their micro and macro cosmoses. These words are interesting and impressive.”
From 2009 Oleksii has productively worked in hot enamel technique using different materials: silver, copper, bronze, and gems. Inspired by different themes he creates series of works united by common ideas and at this moment my collection of enamels counts about eighty pieces.
Oleksii Koval video:
Process
“Painting, created on a copper plate, covered with enamel and melted in fire, exceeds sculpture in durability. If a bronze sculpture is highly durable, an enamel painting is everlasting.” These words belong to the great Leonardo da Vinci and may be proudly cited by probably any artist that works with the technique of vitreous enamel. Frankly luxurious, almost obscenely expensive even during the stage of preparation, colorful and iridescent, tridimensional and unpredictable… Enamel is not simply universal but also surprisingly durable. This incomparable technique unites characteristic features of both painting and jewelry, and brings astonishing results to those rare artists who are eager to meet all the unexpected effects and all the difficulties it implies with great patience and passion.
To learn more and view more of his work, please click here.