Oil on stretched canvas

“Tatiana” is the first work in my “Soul of Dance” series, inspired by dancer Tatiana Shipilova, whom I depict in the painting. Tatiana was a member of the Győr Ballet until 2026 and we have seen her in many pieces.

During one of our conversations, Tanya said that she is 'like a brush for a painter, a tool to express another artist’s message.'This sentence did not leave me alone, as becoming a dancer is at least half a lifetime of dedicated, self-sacrificing and, above all, humble work, and I find it somewhat unfair how rarely they are given the opportunity to truly show their own soul in their movements. That is why I wanted to show Tatiana’s soul in this painting, selfishly enough, as I see her. The very first time we met, I was captivated by the strong energy that emanates from her, I remember the first expression that came to mind about her: 'earth energy'.

In the painting, Tatiana is connected to the earth, but a barn owl clearly appeared in my imagination next to her, like a kind of 'soul totem.' The compositions do not appear to me consciously, but I feel that it perfectly expresses how I see Tanya: a balanced, determined artist who walks firmly on the earth, but whose soul soars freely.