Albena Vatcheva

So much of our Western history circles around Western Europe's history, yet there's a world out there that lies East of West Europe, and it is a bit different.   That world was left behind somewhere, it seems to have been forgotten.  Yet, it is a world that might have very little vegetation and few flowers on the surface, but its roots grow very deep.

It is here where Albena Vatcheva was born. It is this rich culture that is shining through her work.  Richness, sensuality, and romanticism.  These three words describe it to me.  Sometimes, she is painting an episode from the Arabian nights.  Sometimes, it is the delicate Islamic patterns that are completing her painting.  Sometimes, it is the richness, the expressiveness, the colors of Byzantine art that I notice in her work.  Yet, the subjects of her art are not saints or Bible stories.  Her subjects are regular people who have ascended to those heights.  And they ascended to those heights through love, through devotion, through dedication, through the purity of their souls.

Albena is represented by galleries in France, Qatar, United States, and Argentina.  She resides in Rouen, France.  Albena is the recipient of the Bronze Medal from the prestigious "Société des Artistes Français".

Her art was presented at international art fairs in the US, Italy, China, Qatar, Canada and Monaco. 

In her own words...

I am a French artist born in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.  I am also an architect, a poet, a graphic designer. I create mainly oil paintings on canvas or wood.  When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being an artist painter or a writer, I wanted to make people experience deep emotions while interacting with my work.  As I was interested in many other subjects, I did long studies, published a book of poems and finally became an architect.  For 5 years, I worked as an architect, mainly for bank offices.

When I changed my country at the age of 29, I left everything behind and started a new life in France.  I gradually became a self–employed, self-taught artist.

My work is all about capturing love, tenderness and beauty in life.

My favorite medium is oil. I have worked a lot to create my own special technique oil on canvas by several layers.  I use about ten successive layers for most of the paintings. I try to capture the magic of life, thus bright vibrant colors are absolutely necessary for me. 

My inspiration comes from all the wonderful fairy tale books with illustrations by Bulgarian or international painters that I read in my childhood – and in all my life experiences afterwards, world mythologies and cultures. That is why people of very different origins find themselves in my paintings and this is the greatest reward for me as an artist.