Monika Zhorova Fine Art

Monika Zhorova Fine Art Pastel art, figurative painting, painting from a photo reference.

Some paintings take longer to complete, as was the case with this one. The reference photo was slightly blurry, which al...
03/02/2024

Some paintings take longer to complete, as was the case with this one. The reference photo was slightly blurry, which always presents a challenge, especially when I don't personally know the people depicted. However, I was convinced that I could still create a beautiful and lasting memory for the family.
"My younger son often expresses the belief that when he, as a soul, 'was sitting on a cloud,' he chose our family primarily because of my second son. He wanted to have him as a brother and knew they would have lots of fun playing together. As it turned out, he was right. Interestingly, they even share the same birthdate, the 5th. Because of a hospital birth, my younger son could only meet him the following day. I often imagine how nice it would have been if he could have met him at the exact time of his birth, just like this boy in the painting did.
I am so thankful that I was commissioned to depict such a beautiful scene – a painting that tells a whole story.
Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat dark grey, 70×50 cm

At first I wasn´t sure whether to place the baby in the centre of the painting or move it slightly to side. Thanks to th...
17/01/2024

At first I wasn´t sure whether to place the baby in the centre of the painting or move it slightly to side. Thanks to the striking yellow colour and the blue arch of the pool above it the baby attracts all the attention, but where else should one look but at a beautiful newborn baby in the hands of his beautiful mum. It is all fine this way.
I am so thankful I could capture this tender moment and could not leave my pastels alone until the painting was done!
Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat dark grey, 70×50 cm

For this painting and birth I wanted something special. I looked up the position of the stars in the sky on the day, hou...
19/12/2023

For this painting and birth I wanted something special. I looked up the position of the stars in the sky on the day, hour and minute the baby was born and mirrored it in the water. Thus, you can see Leo, Orion, Hya, Lepus, Canis minor and some more in the painting. Will you spot Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky that you can see with the naked eye?
Thank you that you captured such a beautiful moment! Feminine power, vulnerability, intuition and strength – it is all in it.
Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat mountboard, 70×50 cm

Have you ever heard the story of Picasso and the napkin? This story resonates in my head the whole day (while painting, ...
05/12/2023

Have you ever heard the story of Picasso and the napkin?
This story resonates in my head the whole day (while painting, working or being with my kids).

Legend has it that Picasso was at a Paris market when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her. Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for a million Francs.

The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”
“No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes....”

I love to play with light and shades, but it is very difficult to take a true-to-life photo of the painting afterwards. ...
10/11/2023

I love to play with light and shades, but it is very difficult to take a true-to-life photo of the painting afterwards.
In reality the candle in the woman´s hands is glowing brightly and you can nearly feel the heat of the flame. Along with the woman´s beauty it feels like magic.
Although lately I've focused mainly on birth paintings (and there are currently two on my easel right now), I occasionally still do portraits and landscapes.
Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat mountboard, 70×50 cm

The painting I am working on now...I never draw paintings based on a reference photo taken by a professional photographe...
27/10/2023

The painting I am working on now...
I never draw paintings based on a reference photo taken by a professional photographer. I see no point in doing so, since the photos are usually already perfect.
I love it when I can get the best out of a scene, intensify colours, forget the busy background, reflect the power of the moment and capture the beauty of it. I want my paintings to be better than the original.
BUT I was so taken away by this scene I could not resist. I only wanted to draw a woman in labour catching her own baby, but as I started a little bit smaller than desired I suddenly caught myself to draw the whole scene captured by the doula and a brilliant photographer . I was simply carried away by the moment and a beautiful birth story of . You can see and read more on their profiles and I highly recommend that.
Birth's beauty. A mirracle. The super-power of a woman. The baby being born en caul...
I may start again and bigger, but now I still have to add more colour and movement into this one.
So thankful to both women I could draw such a tender and powerful scene. It is going to be the first scene for my planned exhibition Power of woman. It is the first time I ever drew water.
Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat mountboard, 70×50 cm

YES, I was born with curly hair. :) Some of you may not know this as even my sons (9 and 7) didn´t! I have always denied...
21/10/2023

YES, I was born with curly hair. :)
Some of you may not know this as even my sons (9 and 7) didn´t! I have always denied that curly part of me and kept my hair straight thinking that curly hair belongs only to independent wild artists and I was not expected/did not want to be that despite the strong call (“of the wild“) in my heart. I fellt too much, not to fit and wanted to be „appropriate“.
It is weird how people and especially women can deny their true selves to fit to the society or just the conditions in which they “happen“ to live, how easily they abandon themselves and how hard it is to get back to your roots and to really live your own life.

So today I told my hairdresser not to dry or straighten my hair so that I can see MYSELF again. If I will not deny that part of myself, it will come into full flower, right? :)
Anyway, I came back to my easel after 20 years to free that supressed creative and artistic part of myself. It feels like coming home after a long yourney.
So what´s next? A scooter? :)

Sometimes the client requires a change in the painting. This time it was the background that should have reflected the a...
28/08/2023

Sometimes the client requires a change in the painting. This time it was the background that should have reflected the atmosphere in the room (pink-purple light and lots of lights). And I am glad she did it, because I like the changed painting with the star sky even more! So do not hesitate to reach out to me with all your wishes. I will do my best to meet your expectations.

Two beautiful ladies....a small double portrait before a set of big paintings.Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat mountboard,...
28/08/2023

Two beautiful ladies....a small double portrait before a set of big paintings.

Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat mountboard, A3

Nearly done.... some reference photos have a bad quality, the lighting is poor, background is busy or you need to change...
15/08/2023

Nearly done.... some reference photos have a bad quality, the lighting is poor, background is busy or you need to change the composition, as it was in this case where I was asked to combine two photos together.
I can still come up with a beautiful painting.
I am happy how this one turned up and love the calm and relaxing expression on the baby´s face. What a peaceful scenery it is!

The format 70×50 cm is really impressive! It's hard to describe, you have to experience it yourself, but on a large form...
06/08/2023

The format 70×50 cm is really impressive!
It's hard to describe, you have to experience it yourself, but on a large format the eyes have to travel around the picture. It's as if you step into the scene for a moment and could nearly touch the emotions there.

So thankful I could draw a birth painting for this beautiful couple!

If you had a photo that would fit the big size, definitelly go into it, it is worth it!

And I would love to share one thing today. The paintings you see here are never final, they are about 95% finished. Its owners will be the first to see the finished painting. :) That's for two reasons. I always let the painting rest and it is often only with fresh eyes (or after being uploaded) that I discover things that need to be adjusted. And second, I simply like it this way....to save some final surprise for the owners :)

Still connected.... I love bigger formats of paper, when my hand can move easily and freely above/on the surface of the ...
29/07/2023

Still connected.... I love bigger formats of paper, when my hand can move easily and freely above/on the surface of the paper, the dance of light and shadow and the flow state where you lose track of time, so I really enjoyed this beautiful birth moment!
Still connected with his mum... protected with vernix ... and born into the most beautiful hands in the world....
Extra soft pastel on Pastelmat dark grey, 70×50 cm

Adresa

Brno-Střed

Internetová stránka

Upozornění

Buďte informováni jako první, zašleme vám e-mail, když Monika Zhorova Fine Art zveřejní novinky a akce. Vaše emailová adresa nebude použita pro žádný jiný účel a kdykoliv se můžete odhlásit.

Odkazy

Sdílet

Kategorie