Why is always Patagonia on your pastel paintings?
Ten years ago me and my ex-husband did a nice small trip all along South America (and spent there six months). Half of it we were in Patagonia. The main idea of that trip was to improve our relations. So we did. We had returned to Russia and divorced the next day.

Patagonia, where is it?
It is a very bottom of South America continent and probably starts from the 40th parallel south.

OK and what did you do all the time?
It sounds weird but we just travelled. Did hiking, trekking, walking and so on. We had a tent but sometimes went to cities to do laundry and to sleep in a normal bed. In fact, a hitch-hiking here is lovely. People are nice and friendly and worry a lot about two Russian travellers. Once we were invited to spend a night in someone's house, so during that night told them a lot about Russia using a body language and a weak Spanish.

Am I right and you started to paint ten years ago?
Nope. Ten years ago I couldn't do any single sketch. And I had no idea that now I will sell my pictures.

By the way, one Spanish friend was pretty sure that Patagonia exists. 'I always thought it is an imaginary country'.

The climate in imaginary country is pretty rough, the mountains are high and the glaciers are beautiful. Sometimes it seems like Northern Scandinavia, tundra probably. Clouds here are the craziest in the world and I could say the same about sunrises and sunsets.

Do you paint using your imaginary?
I use everything. My imagination, my photos of Patagonia and sometimes I keep in mind pictures of the greatest nature photographers. One one of them did't mind that I use his pictures for inspiration :"Anyway you paint as Rerich artist".

To be honest he is one of my favourite artists so, I think I really try to be like him. But I he did Himalaya and I do Ands.