Artem Shiyan
Ukraine
Artem Shiyan (Instagram @art_mcalister) is a 25-year young Ukrainian artist.
He was born in a large family -Mom/Dad/two sisters/two brothers- in which high moral standards and a love for fine arts were instructed daily.
His Mom and Dad are talented painters themselves, and even though they did not pursue a professional career in the arts, they were quick to notice Artem’s enormous talent at a very young age and were willing to unconditionally support and motivate him.
Artem started to paint regularly at age 6. Initially, he followed and studied all kind of drawing self-development books, but rapidly, he was ready for the next level of learning. ‘Instructional books need to simplify the drawing process, and I have always liked to draw details and complicated compositions’ says Shiyan.
His learning process took him from drawing complex photography, to painting nature en plein air, to studying the great European masters, to creating his own compositions and ideas mixing his own photography and starting to use live models.
At age 19, he was ready for a major growth experience. His parents sent him to work in a prestigious residential/corporate decorating company that specializes in large size mural painting on walls. Not only did Artem became an expert in ‘modern frescoes’ but he also needed to mix and perfect all mediums and techniques: acrylic, oils, plasters, and bas-reliefs. He completely enjoyed and got immersed in the process and in 18 months he created a record 150+ square meters of magnificent fine art.
‘I like to paint the sea and the sky, sometimes the forest, and I adore flowers’ said Shiyan. However, today, he is mostly focused on realistic drawing portraits, combining pencil, charcoal, graphite, colored pencils, and dry brush techniques. ‘It’s fun and easy for me, although I invest many hours in each drawing to achieve perfection’, and he adds ‘It has given me the opportunity to build and position a solid local and international Portraiture business, and I am honored to say that I have satisfied customers in USA, Romania, Great Britain, Oman, Russia and Ukraine’
Artem is very proud of one of his recent drawings that was hung in a Hollywood movie studio. He was commissioned to draw a complicated real-life historical scene in which Nolan Bushnell -founder of Atari, inc- is discussing with company executive Scott Terrel an exciting billion-dollar idea for their company.
This biography was written by ARTDATAintel, based on an interview with Shiyan right in the middle of the Russian invasion to his country (day 27).
Contrary to the fear that any of us would feel, Artem, once again, demonstrated this unmatchable valor and temper that we all around the world have learnt to admire and respect from the Ukrainian people.
When we were concluding this interview, Artem told us ‘I am committed to continue to draw during the time of war. No military actions or aggressions will make me give up my career or my nationalism… I feel that the beauty and art that I create are the best protest to this horrible attack to my country’…. and right before hanging up the phone he added ‘I haven’t heard or seen any rockets or shelling this morning… so I’m planning to make a run to my studio now and rescue a few of my favorite drawings before they get destroyed’
Hats off Artem!
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
