Biographical Information:
Anna-Maria Nikolova is a 15-year old artist that is currently living in Los Angeles. She paints the essential things to her inner world, which are so rich and expressive that they cannot leave you indifferent. She was born and raised in Bulgaria. At the age of eight, Nikolova fell in love with painting by looking at other masters' works. As she developed her pieces, she began to see colors differently, playing on the spontaneity of her imagination. The events and circumstances in her life inspired her, and became thes start of her paintings. This became her process and the start of her paintings. She naturally gravitated to the expressionist style due to similar ideologies. Her art has been exhibited internationally in Bulgaria, Japan, the United States, and Italy.
Artist Statement:
My work is inspired by my surroundings. Like many artists, I use my creative nature to deal with the social and emotional aspects of life. My goal is to inspire people through my paintings for them to see the world through my eyes. The strokes I make on my canvas emit my emotions at the moment. This is how my creative process begins; with a thought, an emotion. My way of thinking is to create paintings that bring the viewer into my world and have them embody and understand my emotions. My hope is that my viewers can see themselves as if my painting is part of them.
Art is my outlet. I use it as a tool to cope with the many events and challenges we face in life. As a growing artist, I am continually exploring materials and finding new ways to make art. Many things in life impress and excite me. I just let my feelings, thoughts, and emotions show through my paintings. I get inspired by everything around me, from nature to people. Most of the time, my paintings emit bright, colorful, joyful, and expressive colors. Life is about the little moments of happiness and about deriving pleasure in what you do. Life is meant to be lived with its ups and downs. Sometimes, you have to follow your heart and do spontaneous things. I want the audience to feel these great emotions that are part of our lives. I frequently get inspired by the events that are occurring around me. Tragedies or bad news impact me so much that I cannot help painting them. I paint these things not to remind people about them but to share my hope that they will never happen again.
My current work is about exploration. I am implementing new ways of making art for myself. My goal is to experience art through my own discoveries and experiences. Reading the biographies of genius artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo has inspired my creative self to explore art in depth. I want to challenge and push myself beyond the shadows of these artists and discover my own light.
