Bogdan Kravchenko
Bo Kravchenko is a American contemporary artist of Ukrainian origin. He got his Master’s degree in Book Graphics at Kyiv State Academy of Arts and started painting in 2010 after a long and successful career in creative advertising. His both parents were artists, and art was the focus at home. After graduation, Bogdan published sixteen books with his book illustrations, and then for many years worked at creative agencies in Europe until he found himself on the East coast of Florida. Under the impression of its beauty, he felt the pull to return to painting and photography. Having spent a life collaborating with galleries, artists, and designers, he had a clear idea of what he wanted to work on. Soon he was able to work full-time as a painter, selling his artworks through festivals and online art galleries, participating in solo and group exhibitions. Today, Bogdan sells his paintings to collectors all over the world and exhibits extensively. After a decade of painting his favorite landscape theme, he has gained confidence and technical skills. Today, he tends to work on a larger scale and abstractly, with a focus on light, textures, and how the landscape works in an abstract context.
From your early days at the Kyiv State Academy of Arts to your large-scale abstract landscapes inspired by the beauty of Florida, how do you think your experience in book graphics and advertising has influenced your approach to painting? Could you talk about any specific techniques or themes from these fields that permeate your art?
Everything influences everything!) Book graphics, advertising, and painting are different worlds that I am lucky to live in. I am grateful for each of them. Although they’re different art media, what unites them to me is drawing as a way of thinking and photography as a helping tool in the inventing process.The most important thing in a book's graphics for me, was its 3D nature. I liked to consider the page as a plane in motion. A thick book as a 3D sculpture, and at that time, my passion was to make three-dimensional books.
Then, when I was in advertising, I could do so many exciting projects. But the main opportunity was to shoot a short film (commercial) and tell a story. It was a miracle! Advertising is also a collective work; where joys and failures are experienced with a group of like-minded people. Lastly, painting for me is meditation, an escape from reality, it is the poetry of rhythms of textures, forms and colors. It is freedom in desires and a conversation with the inner self.
You mentioned the significant influence of your parents and your homeland on your artwork. Could you explore how these elements intertwine with the cultural narratives or artistic traditions of Ukraine and how they manifest themselves in your current style?
The Ukrainian or post-Soviet school of painting is what I grew up with and it still has a strong influence on me. My parents were artists, there was an artistic vibe in the house, we were always going on plain air together, and much more. In general, Ukraine is a very painful topic for me now, I feel bad for my loved ones and the country! I can’t talk or write about it without pain…
The transition to abstract landscapes marks a turning point in your artistic career. What was the catalyst for this transition, and how do you balance the abstract with the concrete in your ideas of light and texture?
I started with figurative whimsical naive painting. After that, I became interested in simple local combinations of colors from the flat landscape of Florida and my travels to other countries. Now I am increasingly introducing color planes from a non-naturalistic landscape to achieve new compositional and color solutions. Also, I am liberating myself in abstract painting, which gives me more courage in my minimalist landscapes. In general, yes, I am moving closer to the abstract and freeing myself from the real in my works. Perhaps I will follow Piet Mondrian’s path from landscape to neoplasticism, who knows…:) He is one of my favorite artists, and I really like his landscapes of 1906-1907 and his late period of abstractionism during the 1920-40s.
Over the years you mentioned developing confidence and technical skills. Can you talk about specific techniques or methodologies that you have honed, especially in your large-scale works?
Well, in any profession the more seriously you work the more confidence and skill you gain. When I start working, I wanted to get the desired result quickly, so I often use quick-drying acrylic. I always need natural textures and roughness in painting, so I often prime the canvas with different materials. Also, during the painting process, I can add sand for example for texture etc. and, in the pre-final stages I often cover the artwork with translucent layers to achieve the desired coloring, for this sometimes I use cold colored wax etc.
Selling art all over the world and exhibiting widely, what are the most impressive comments or criticisms you have received from art collectors, professionals or the public? How have they shaped your artistic direction?
There have been quite a few good comments and that is inspiring. I am more interested in constructive criticism that will make you look at your work differently, help you move forward, that has not been enough.
Can you tell us about your creative process when starting a new work, in particular how you choose themes, scale and materials? What are the most difficult aspects of starting a new work and how do you overcome them?
Typically, it begins with finding a specific plot or series of themes that I am interested in. It can be something seen on a trip from the photos that I regularly take, even something that inspires me from the Internet surfing. The beginning is very intriguing, as the idea is being polished and gives you a perspective. Difficulties are coming towards the end of the work. Doubts about when to stop, some things please how they turned out, some do not. Some works do not let go for a long time
How do you evaluate your role in local and global art communities? How do you interact with other artists and how has this community influenced your work and its perception?
I am humble enough to judge things like that. I travel a lot with my family. There are three of us, and we are all creative people, so I always have someone to talk to and reflect on. Of course, there are art online communities that influence me. Also, recently I have become more familiar with the history of art, which always helps to grow.
With a significant portion of your sales occurring through online platforms, how has the digital realm influenced your approach to art creation and marketing? Are there elements of your advertising background that have proven particularly useful in this regard?
Yes, thanks to my experience in advertising I can quickly and effectively present my artworks to the audience. I work as a one-stop shop. The idea, production, promotion, and marketing are all in one hand)
Looking ahead, are there any new themes or techniques you want to explore in your future projects? How do you expect your style to evolve in the next few years?
I am currently moving towards more structured abstract solutions in painting. I am also inspired by the possibility of making more monumental canvases. But life is moving so fast that it is hard to say for sure what I will be doing in a few years. I keep my door open!