About Irina Potselueva

     I was born in 1969 in your typical Moscow family. Well, to the extent that any family can be called average… Everyone always has their secrets. And we were no different, with a standard Khrushchev -era apartment in the outskirts of an industrial area that could have been mistaken for a museum: panel pictures, engravings hung all over every wall, and behind the cupboard window a collection of figurines standing just out of view.

As I began to look at works of art from day-to-day, I started drawing quite early and nothing has changed since. I used to draw everywhere all the time. When I didn’t have my tools or a sheet of paper, I would grab a needle and scratch polished furniture. Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed, and always ended with the traditional Moscow punishment — standing in the corner. But that was even more interesting for me, as the walls were covered with a wallpaper that made for a great canvas...

We lived a modest life, and as a result our family could never afford to provide me with a basic art education when I was a child. But then how lucky have I ended up throughout my life! Throughout my journey, I’ve met a multitude of excellent artists that have been pleased to teach me. I can’t help but recall the countless joyful hours I used to spend in their workshops, exploring all the intricacies art has to offer.

I graduated from Moscow State Institute of Culture with honors, while at the same time being a member of the International Art Fund and participating in exhibitions in Moscow’s larger venues.

At present, I am a member of the Artist Trade Union of Russia.

My works are featured in private collections, galleries, and foundations in other countries.

Throughout my career I have put on 27 solo and 40 collective exhibitions. The solo exhibitions I have under my belt include shows in Berlin (Germany), Casablanca and Rabat (Morocco), Cairo and Alexandria (Egypt), Athens (Greece), Prague (Czech Republic), Tunisia, and other cities and countries.

I regularly contribute to various International festivals, both in Russia and abroad. These exhibitions help unite my work with other artists, offer a wealth of experience, and allow me to discover new boundaries in my creative work.

Playing a part in charity auctions is crucial for me, and my charitable contributions have been awarded with the Order For Life on Earth, and a slew of other acknowledgments.

I don’t consider myself fully defined by any one style, but I gravitate most towards classical and realistic painting. I put my soul into conveying the beauty of ordinary objects caught in a fleeting moment: the agitation of roadside grass bathed in the suns last rays, sparrows splashing playfully in puddles on a sunny spring day, bushy thistle amidst the elusive beams of the setting sun...

I strive to express not only beauty, but the very scent these moments can bring us. The smell of wild grass, blooming flowers with their gentleness and individuality; my works are filled with the sun, and I love light and happiness. Our modern lives are filled with enough greyness as it is: useless and never ending wars, human tragedies and despair. I therefore try to convey the beauty of the world, letting my works look past all of the negativity. Let’s all just live and enjoy everything nature has bestowed upon us.

I put my heart into each and every one of my works. I craft them to communicate the positive energy I hold from a pure heart. Look around us, and you can see that the world is a wonderful place. And if you smile when you look at my work, and you take it into your heart to look around and see all the delight in the world as I do, it means that you have become a bit happier, and made me happier as well in the process. It is these moments that make it truly worthwhile to live and work.