This holiday season, we’re excited to introduce Pomegranate, a publishing and printing company that offers its customers “art you can bring home.”
In celebration of Pomegranate’s commitment to inclusivity, we’re proud to spotlight some of the brilliant women artists in their catalogue! Read more about Pomegranate below.
On a blanket of black night, a woman clad in flowing pink robes raises her hands to the sky where three eyes bloom large, their purple-rimmed pupils winking. Across the space where she reaches, sunbursts and dots of pale turquoise, tangerine, and orangey-red scatter about the dark background.
Here is just one small slice of the whimsical world of Ukrainian artist Daria Hlazatova, whose vibrant, imaginative dreamscapes see the arresting gazes of feminine faces mingle with elegant swirls, fantastical flourishes, and flecks of color. Bursting with character and intricate detail, they are brilliant in their composition. With artwork that stimulates the active imagination, Daria has quickly taken up a spot among my favorite artists.
Daria thinks of her artwork as a synthesis of everything she has dreamed of and seen. With a style that exists somewhere between punk and the ethereal, she often chooses mythical figures as her subjects, who live in the starscapes and fairy tale scenes she creates. Her most frequent and personal motif, however, is a watchful gaze. The eyes in her drawings establish connection. As she said in a recent interview posted on the website The Tiny Pencil: “I never feel like the work is truly alive unless it has at least one eye in it. It should look back at you.” (See link below.)
She goes on to say, “unless I draw a face or at least an eye in the artwork, I consider it ‘closed.’ When the face appears, it opens up a gateway for the viewer.” Such an action reminds the viewer that art, too, can be conscious and that we should interact with it, not just consume it. At the same time, her work facilitates introspection, encouraging the viewer to look inside their own imagination, where dreams can take flight.
Describing herself as a “full-time artist and a part-time elf,” Daria’s passion lies in drawing and creating handmade collages. An avid music and cinema lover, she also enjoys dance and travel. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an oceanologist. But with a dozen artists in the family and just one marine diver, her need to create was greater.
Believing that what an artist creates is a reflection of themselves, whether on purpose or by accident, Daria does not consciously imbue her art with messages: “I think people imagine that artists and illustrators have a story behind their every work; that they try to convey something special, communicate a global message with their artwork. Probably most artists do that, however, I don’t.”
“When I draw, I combine objects, add elements, often subconsciously, because I can feel they will make the whole thing look beautiful.”
“For me, the attractiveness of the artwork is more important than the story of the piece because art is universal and you attach almost any idea to it, as long as the artwork itself gives enough room for imagination. When I draw, I combine objects, add elements, often subconsciously, because I can feel they will make the whole thing look beautiful. I rarely have a distinct idea of what the artwork will look like in the end, because I’m adventurous and I like ‘traveling’ through the drawing. After it is finished, the viewers can look at it from their own point of view and attach a meaning.”
Daria loves details and patterns and finds drawing them to be relaxing and therapeutic. For her, sources of influence took root in early childhood. “I had books illustrated by some of the finest Russian artists like Ivan Bilibin and Alexandre Benois.” In their pages, she found herself amazed at “how their decorative detail could make a simple subject matter look so much more attractive and magnetic.”
Indeed, one could get lost in the details Daria draws, diving head-first into a world of stars and faces, swirls and speckles, starbursts and great big eyes. I feel myself traversing the hills and plains of Daria’s dreamscapes, climbing mountains, sitting in a night sky. Without moving an inch, I am transported across worlds.
Click here to see the new Daria Hlazatova 2022 Wall Calendar available for purchase on Pomegranate.com.
Remember, the artist receives a greater portion of the proceeds if you buy directly from Pomegranate.
© Roza M. Melkumyan (12/29/21) FF2 Media
LEARN MORE
Click here to see Daria’s notecards on the Pomegranate site.
Click here to see Daria’s jigsaw puzzle on the Pomegranate site.
Click here to read the interview with Daria on The Tiny Pencil site (where you will find several of the quotes on process and inspiration we’ve extracted above).
You can order additional prints, books, and originals from Daria Hlazatova’s Etsy shop.
CREDITS AND PERMISSIONS
Images from Pomegranate’s 2022 Daria Hlazatova calendar have been provided by Pomegranate and are used here by FF2 Media with their permission. All Rights Reserved by Pomegranate.
