Evgeniya Plotnikova is a sculptor and stone carver whose works have exhibited internationally and locally. What started as a simple interest grew into a passion that led to setting up a home studio here in the PNW to “play and clay”. Bellevue Lifestyle asked Evgeniya to share how she discovered and pursed her passion in the arts.
How did you discover your passion for art?
When I first moved from Siberia to New York, I would pass by a pottery studio on my way to my architecture office. I would stare into the studio space watching people on pottery wheels, until one day I thought ‘Why don’t I sign up?’. Claying was for me just a meditative stress-release activity initially, but then I got fascinated with the material itself. Working with clay helped me to rediscover a sense of childhood joy and simply play, and then it put me on the path of discovering myself as an artist and as a woman.
While creating my first ceramic series, I noticed a natural tendency towards sculptural designs. After moving from NYC to Washington, we bought a house with a garden and I started to make vases. As a vessel it has a function, but you have to pair it properly with the flower. I had an interest in making beautiful combinations.
My interest in stone began at my job in an architecture firm in NYC. We had a lot of high-end clients, and we would get request to design with specific rare stones, so I’d go to different stone yards to look. I would see the slabs of incredible material, and it just blew my mind how much the nature offers in the richness of the patterns. At some point I thought ‘Why not go to Italy to study sculpture and a craft of marble carving?’ So I did. Exploring this different medium broaden my identity from a ‘ceramicist’ to an Artist, a Sculptor, not confined by a particular medium.
How have you overcome challenges in finding time for your art?
Prioritizing. If there is no time for a good 5-hour long stone carving session, I still might carve out an hour to make a quick collage. Having a home studio has helped tremendously in finding time to make art. And allowing myself to take breaks. Creativity comes in flows for me. I can work continuously on something, really be focused on it and then step away for some time until I feel a fresh pull back. It’s a natural process.
In what ways have you invested in your passion?
I have a full-time job in Architecture that pays my bills, and that allows me not to put a burden on my creative pursuits at this point. It is a joy to create from a place of unconstrained freedom and I would like to maintain it that way. I had to invest a lot of time and money to present my work (photography, website, materials, plane tickets) and use my vacation time to be able to travel for exhibits. At some point the initial efforts started to pay back in terms of financials and recognition as the work started to sell.
Many are timid when exploring their creativity. Any advice?
A few things I’ve realized on my art journey that helped me remove some of the blocks along the way:
- It does not matter what the world thinks of my art. The truth is no one cares about my art except me, and that’s okay.
- Creativity is a unique gift. Why not just open the box and see what comes next?
- You don’t need a “result” - meaning it does not have to sell, be liked by others, or even have to be ‘good’. Ultimately making art is about enjoying the process.
- Singers sing. Makers make. It is my nature to make things, to create, to express. So that’s what I do, and other considerations are less important than this act of making.
- Look at the creative project as a therapy and meditative activity worth investing your time into. Art heals my head.
For more information about Evgeniya Plotnikova and her art, visit www.evg.works.
"Working with clay helped me to rediscover a sense of childhood joy and simply play."
"Creativity comes in flows for me. I can work continuously on something, really be focused on it and then step away for some time until I feel a fresh pull back."
"Ultimately making art is about enjoying the process."
