Interview

• How did you know you wanted to learn woodwork?

  While I was still in high school, I visited Abramtsevsky College open day. They exhibited pieces made of wood, metal, ceramics, stone and ivory. I was impressed by the beauty and warmth of the wooden objects and decided I would go in this direction.

• Do you remember the first objects you made?

  The first project that I’ve implemented was a set of dressers, all made in traditional Russian style. It was inspired by the works of craftsmen of the famous Abramtsevo workshops – in the 19th century Abramtsevo became the centre of folk art and craft revival.

• Can you describe your techniques?

  I use solid wood and mainly old techniques to create my objects. For the decoration, I use carving techniques such as trihedral notching and flat low relief carving with floral ornaments. I also do high relief carving, woodturning, chiselling and oil finishing.

• What makes an object a good piece of work?

  The expressive line of a contour, the combination of textures, the nicely painted surface, but also the sensory properties of a piece, it’s warmth. Sometimes I touch a finished object with my eyes closed, and I can tell if it’s a well made piece simply by touch.