La Polo India magazine: interview with Anna Cher

Yes, this is what I try to achieve in my work - to combine abstract perception and realistic recognizable objects. That gives a viewer an opportunity to dive into the world of emotions and at the same time keep the connection with the real objective world of familiar things. I would like to believe that my viewers see something very emotional and personal which would be hard put in words for themselves. 

 

It is hard to single out anything in particular that inspires me. Everything does, really. My inspiration is life itself and the people around me. 

By nature, I am an introvert, but I love to be around people. Alone in the crowd as they call it. My goal is to try and engage people's minds to encourage them to transform abstract images into emotions and back. I hope that my work creates positive emotions for people. I paint to make the indoor atmosphere brighter and more interesting, I create the mood for the interiors of their owners. I am happy that I can make people's lives a little bit more enjoyable and pretty.

I love dogs very much, they are very social animals that make my heart melt. They are all are full of personality, which depends on both breed and their own temperament which makes them such amazing animals to observe and paint. I love to watch how they interact with the world in a different environment. But mostly I appreciate in dogs is their soulfulness and honesty. I've got a little dog myself and she definitely makes my life happier.

  

Even though I used to ride myself, I never tried playing polo, but I'm hoping to try it myself one day. It is mesmerizing to watch. The players must be in full control of themselves and the horse and act in unison with the whole team. The level of fitness, coordination, and skills required is hard to imagine. I used to ride and even jump as a child recreationally, but unfortunately, I had never taken part in competitions and, frankly speaking, I am not very competitive myself, but love watching others compete.

  

I must admit that naturally, I am a very slow and self-reflective person (sometimes a bit too much) that often affecting my work and I tend to 'overwork' it. It's quite common among artists to have a fear of a blank canvas when you have a lot of doubts about your skills to put your idea and convey it on the canvas. I found the solution for this, which is to stop the thoughts from jumping in my mind.

  

That is actually why I've chosen acrylic to oils. Acrylics dry very quickly therefore there is no chance to 'overthink' your painting. It forces you to act at the moment without any hesitation. It actually reminds me of polo when everything changes instantly and you need to act following the current moment. To me, it's a kind of a trance where you are just a piece of a large powerful flow of feelings and personal experience.