b. 1968
Born: Moscow, Russia
Active ceramist: 34 years
Mentor: The late Lydia Zavatzky was my inspiration when I started. She had the freedom and Hutzpah to play with any material, size or techniques which are available to a ceramist. Her work was the proof that anything is possible. She wasn’t really my teacher, but once, when I retrieved submission work which I barely saved at the last moment from a burning kiln by adding a layer of gold onto it, she sort of by the way gave me her blessing: ” Anna, you’re like a cat which will always land on its feet”. This sentence accompanies me like a charm in my studio work.
Why Clay?
I work in clay first of all because I’m addicted; And I have this never satisfied need to impose my will on the clay; and the curiosity to peek into the kilns; And the rare quality of the people whom I got to know through this profession. All of the above are my main motivations.
What do I want to convey?
I’ll answer with a story: When I was 9, I was for 3 months in bed at my grandmother’s. She gave me the adult version of “A thousand and one nights” to read. When I finally got well again, I wasn’t the same girl: the character of Scheherazade had taken hold of me, and with the end of one magical story she would immediately start a new one and interrupt it in the middle at sunrise. The pursuit of ceramics entails this wondrous trait of weaving layer upon layer of clay into a material “story” which always waits in frustrated expectation from one firing to the next. This is a story that never ends for me and has been going on for a quarter of a century.
What characterizes my work process?
Multiplicity- is the correct word for my work process. This applies to multiplicity of layers, materials, technological means, and most importantly to the many people which take part in the process.
My tools of choice … can’t create without them:
A good quality and pointed paintbrush that is for me the equivalent to a sharp knife in the kitchen. A low quality brush dampens my senses. The loss of a brush in the middle of working sends me into a state of impotence and anxiety, that’s why I have a secret stash for emergencies.
Absolutely necessary in my working environment:
Good black tea (not Wissotzky), Dark chocolate
A kiln in good working order
Allies for good conversations
Ah…yes, and Clay!
