The focus of my work is the inevitable link between our identities as humans and the natural world. In my portraiture, nature is both the backdrop for the subject’s experience, as well as an expression of their internal state. Nature becomes a vehicle for soul searching – my subjects return to what makes life possible and connect with an entity that is infinitely more powerful and eternal than any individual and all of society. When most connected to their surroundings, my subjects camouflage in tree shadows, dissolving away from consciousness and ego. It is humbling, and perhaps calming, to realize that even at best of times, there is only so much in our control.
Apart from my portraits, I collaborate with my woodworker father, who lives in Moscow. I grew up surrounded by his masks, which adorned our furniture and walls. Now we work together to pull ideas from Russian folklore. He creates wooden masks that I fly over to Boston, adorn, and transform into paintings. To achieve dimension and materiality in these works, I layer paper, encaustic and oil paint for depth and texture, and combine clay with gathered objects for 3D details.
Artist Bio:
Margarita’s career as an artist began with Artists for Humanity – Boston, where she worked as a painter and collaborated on public art projects. In 2012 she studied Chinese ink painting in Hong Kong through Tufts. In 2013 she received the Dehn Traveling fellowship for a trip to Armenia and Georgia, which resulted in a body of work inspired by the stone structures she photographed while there. In 2014 Margarita graduated from the Tufts and SMFA Combined degree program with degrees in Art and Neurobiology. In 2018 she commenced on a yearlong backpacking trip throughout Europe, Middle East, and Asia, painting commissioned murals along the way. She currently works out of Studio 510 at Western Ave Studios and teaches art at Alma Mater Studio in Lexington and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts.
Feel free to contact Margarita if you have any questions about her work, for inquiries about pricing/availability, or if interested in collaboration 🙂
Contact:
margaritakrylova3@gmail.com
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