Art & Life with Alexander Chistov

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Chistov.

Alexander, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Art has always been a part of my life. I decided early on that I wanted to turn my passion into a career.

I moved to Los Angeles, California as a teenager and the city has influenced my artwork since. While attending Fairfax High School aerosol art captured my interest and I pursued it. Several local businesses commissioned my murals throughout the area. Soon my murals gained attention and recognition and I was commissioned to paint several murals for schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Creating huge works of art that adorned the city made me proud. Murals brought me joy, I wanted to expand my artistic ability and merged myself into fine art.

I studied oil painting every second that I had. I studied old masters such as Diego Velazquez, Joaquin Sorolla, Ivan Shishkin, Anders Zorn and Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema among many others. My research included visiting the museums to study paintings up close. I would study their brushstrokes, color schemes and the subject painted. My visits to the museums not only provided valuable knowledge but they also inspired my artwork.

During my quest to learn more about oil painting I discovered Plein-Air painting, a French term that refers to outdoor painting. The concept really interested me and as soon as I tried it I fell in love with it. Outdoor painting has greatly helped my studio work. The first oil paintings I did were mostly still life and portraits. As I gained more practice and with practice confidence I pursued landscape, seascapes and genre work.

My artwork has been published in art magazines such as Southwest Art and American Art Collector. I continue to learn daily about traditional art and I attempt to polish my technique with each painting. My objective is to create paintings that beautifully capture my subject and prompt the viewer’s senses.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I enjoy using different mediums for my artwork but currently, I am focused in oil painting. I dove myself into creating oil paintings because I fell in love with the medium. The materials that I use to create my oil paintings have changed over the years as my knowledge expands. I currently love using dibond panels and MDF panels for my paintings.

Over the years I have used different brands of oil paint and currently use two brands that have the consistency that I like and that works for me. I draw inspiration from the beautiful scenes this state has to offer, more specifically Southern California. I also draw inspiration from everyday events for my genre artwork. Paintings from previous masters have also inspired my artwork.

Although, I am currently focused on oil paint I want people to know that I am a well-rounded artist. I have produced Murals, acrylic paintings, charcoal drawings pastel drawing, gouache and watercolor paintings. The reaction I look forward from my audience is that of appreciation.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Be persistent, don’t give up! There is no course on how to become an artist you will learn as you go. A lesson I wish I knew earlier would be to start my art career even earlier than I did.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My artwork will be exhibiting next month in Acardia Contemporary Exhibition “This land is….”

Exhibition Dates:
Opening: Saturday, April 21st
Closing: Sunday, May 6th

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexanderchistov.com
• Email: alexanderchistov1@gmail.com
• Instagram: @chistov_alexander

Image Credit:
Maria Chistov

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.