Some artists approach their work like it’s an exact science, perfecting each curve and angle to be symmetrically sound and not out of place. Though that may be true in an abstract sense, Yuri Elvin is far from that. His style looks as though in a fit of rage and emotion he splashed down some paint, glued some canvas, threw some kind of material in there to make it do what he felt, and applied a signature.
I like it.
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Yuri did an interesting project where it was 100 Pieces of Affordable Art. I think that’s a pretty cool idea. So much art today is upwards of $500 for a good piece that you like. These pieces, some of them, are still selling for ~$45. They’re one offs. “Always, no prints ever,” says Yuri.
The work ranges from raw splashes of beautiful colours that explode off the page or canvas, to barbaric statements of monotone lines that would scare most children. His backgrounds are washed with muted colors that sometimes overlaps the main focus of the painting, often with glued paper or canvas to add texture to the painting that will usually add some confusion to the piece.
The work reminds me of tribal dancing. The kind that you put yourself into a mood, with heavy drum beats and crazy eyes. Lots of hand painting.
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
I had the chance to talk with Yuri for a bit. We talked about some of the things that an artist faces trying to make it happen, trying to get that success. It turns out Yuri’s day job is in the film business. He says when the writers went on strike a few years ago, things changed. His focus became clearer, or at least more driven towards art again, rather than being an extra on the set, or an Assistant Director. He said: “Cant handle having a regular job on a film set, makes you old really fast, I’d rather have less money and struggle but do my thing.”
But that wasn’t the question today. The question was why do you do art? If you look closely at Yuri’s works, you’ll see a lot of boobs coming out of them….
Yuri does a lot of work. His mind moves fast, picking up pieces of memories and scripts to pull at them and put them together. You can see this in his art. He’s got ideas and they flow. They jump and come together and it’s fast. It’s emotional and instinctual. It’s only natural for somebody who’s been painting since he was two. He showed me this video:
It’s people like Yuri Elvin that push boundaries with art. That reach down into the inner workings of the subconscious to work as a vessel for some other energy form that spits out art. This kind of art is epic. This kind of art is necessary for the world.
How do you like the work of Yuri Elvin?
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Photo source: Yuri Elvin | www.yurielvin.com
Just tripped across this – incisive comment, though I don’t wholeheartedly agree & nice variety of your work. Keep that paint moving!.
awesome