MADNESS: RUSSIAN ART BRUT #3 (MAMONOV-CORE)

Quite often, I have almost no energy left for art. I literally lie for hours staring into the void, just trying to recharge. Waking up early on a regular basis kills me harder than nicotine kills a heavy smoker. This went on for weeks. Even the billboard portrait of the woman who once gave me the "fuel" to start acting didn't stir a single emotion in me anymore. So I prayed to God for inspiration—and He sent it. Frankly, I never start working without that feeling. In search of inspiration, I turned to the work of Pyotr Mamonov and to the fly agaric. I have to say, it helped immensely—the tangible reflection of both elements found its way into this new painting. I was sort of exploring the theme of physicality through my raw, unfiltered art. Though in reality, I have no idea how physicality is supposed to be explored in art—nor do I need to know. Just like I don't need to know the fundamentals of academic drawing. My work represents true Russian outsider art—something impossible to fake unless you are genuinely self-taught. Once again, I mixed media in my A3 sketchbook: acrylic, oil pastel, and pencil. It took me almost three hours without a break to finish this piece.