The Beginning of my Art Adventure, Woohoo!!!

Hello Everyone! This is my first post so the probability of it being read by anyone is pretty low.

Shorena Ratiani Art

Hmmm, not good on one hand but on the other hand… I’m free to write whatever comes to my mind 😁   

As this blog is intended to describe my art journey, it would be logical to start by introducing of myself. 

{‘must be’ paragraph how clever, awesome and outstanding I am is missing 😄}

I’m a self-taught visual artist currently living and working in Tbilisi, Georgia who has jumped down from her high heels and dramatically changed her career by returning to her life-long passion – art.

As my parents say, I was drawing from the time I could hold a pencil in my hands. However, I didn’t become a painter until much later.

When the time came for me to choose a profession everything in my country turned upside down – after 70 years of Communist dictatorship, the USSR collapsed and the whole post-Soviet space, including my country, was literally drowned in permanent political, economic and social crises, armed massacres and complete chaos. Everything that people knew became useless.

Violence became a next-door neighbor. There were multiple wars, armed conflicts, and bloody massacres in the streets. There was no power or heating. My city was frozen and full of refugees and widows dressed in black. The smell of kerosene and burnt tires choked the air. There was no work, no transport, no gas or electricity, water, no food, no perspectives and no hope. THERE WERE ALSO NO PAINTS!

It was not the time to chase dreams. Instead, it was a time of survival.

And I survived.

I discovered how remarkable it is to examine yourself whilst in the midst of different difficulties and realize you still have the resolve and motivation to move forward.  I don’t complain about those difficult years – freedom is the most important treasure in the world and I know it always has a price.  

A consequence for me was a need to re-define my goals and make them more realistic and achievable in my country’s unstable context. So, instead of entering an arts academy, I graduated with a master’s degree in an absolutely different field.

I chose a career using one of my hundred useless talents – writing and curiosity and became a journalist. In a corrupted system, rotten to core, you can always find things to investigate. 

During my years as a journalist, I felt like a character of action movie. I was working as a reporter, editor, journalism trainer, and head of a regional hub of an international media organization. It was life in the fast lane of a highway without knowing how to get off.

For a time, deep in my heart, I hoped something would go wrong and I could change my career but everything went extremely well and I was successful. I realized it is difficult to turn your back on success 😁

So, for many years I was doing everything but painting. I avoided any contact with the art world and did not attend (or report on) any art exhibitions as I didn’t want to torment myself.

I never found time to draw and the chalk pastels I had bought with my first student stipend had smashed and turned into colorful powder. I didn’t think I would ever draw or paint again.

Shorena Ratiani Art

…and then one day something inside me changed. I was decorating the garden wall with a mural and I realized that I couldn’t put the brush down again. Not anymore…

I started spending more time in art shops marveling at wonderful (for me) things – papers, pencils, paints, pastels… there were plenty of them!

So I left the past behind and began a different journey – again! (OMG) Accepting such a dramatic change was scary and uncertain but I've decided to be brave and go for it 😁  

Well… it took long tough times to re-discover my ‘inner artist’ J Is it too late? I don’t know. Let’s see. A Chinese proverb says, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.  

I’m opening my blog today and hope it will become the second best time.

What you’ll find here:  

Most importantly, it is a place to display my artwork and my greatest passions - photography, digital art, sculpting and doll making.   There will also be space where I can accumulate and share my new personal or professional achievements and struggles, any knowledge I acquire, and tips and tricks that help me in working process and, which maybe, will be useful for you too.

This blog will be my digital home and the place where I share inspirations. My art adventure makes me happy and I want to share this happiness with others💓 

All photos are mine unless another author is credited.

That is all for now. I hope you will enjoy your time on this blog. I’ll feel privileged and honored if you spend your time here, with me.

Move forward and have a lovely day! That’s what I’m doing right now 😊  

XOXO

Shorena

P.S. Check out my painting and drawing portfolio.

Have a look at my photo blog and collection of digital paintings.

Here are a few other places you can also find me:

Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr 

Shorena Ratiani Art.