The Interview : Dimtri Sirenko

Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl talks to Dimitri Sirenko, a Canadian painter best known for his exploration in portraiture & wildlife depictions deriving inspiration from both classical and modern painting disciplines. Working in acrylic and oils, Dmitri captures the essence of personality in his works relying on his own imaginative perception as well as photo reference. For Dimitri, art is a language that can communicate on both conscious as well as sub-conscious levels which is why aesthetic execution of his art is a big part of making that language more accessible to a wider range of audience. Dimitri graduated from Emily Carr University of art and design with a major in animation which is why he works as an art director in animation and video game industry. Dimitri worked 11 years in the video game industry but has been a full time fine artist for the last 5 years. Having won the National Championship of Art Battle as well as Battle of the Brush, he has unlocked a new and exciting chapter in his life.

Thank you, Dimitri, for taking time out to talk with The Wise Owl.

RS: Our readers would be eager to know what inspired you to start painting, and who were your early influences in the art world?

DS: Ever since I can remember I was one of those kids who seemed to be obsessed with drawing, painting and really any other discipline of creating art. Being a child, of course I was influenced mostly by entertainment industry which included comic books, cartoons, feature length animations and eventually video games. This lead me to pursue a career in media arts where I worked on numerous console games, mobile games, Netflix animated series and full length animated movies. Fast forward to my final years in that industry after becoming an Art director and having worked on several different projects in that role I found myself uninspired and bogged down by the corporate and cut throat nature of big studios. This resulted in me naturally rekindling my passion for traditional art essentially getting back to my roots. I began painting in my spare time at home while being influenced by any artists who exhibited work that spoke to me the most. Among these artists were some from the past such as Aivazovsky known for his seascape work and later contemporary artists such as Voka and Peter Pharoah for their modern and expressive approach to realism. I continue being inspired by mostly living artists as I am a big believer that while we must recognize and respect the forefathers of the past, it is almost more important to be in the present and learn to appreciate artists who are creating in our modern times.

RS: You majored in animation from Emily Carr University. How has your journey from animation major to a renowned painter shaped your artistic style?

DS: Even though I did major in animation, the ironic thing is that I never had a single job being an animator. I think this was the result of Emily Carr university not offering any digital concept art courses back then. Naturally, animation program seemed to come the closest to that. But my true passion always lied in still imagery, not animation per se. This became very evident in the last two years of my program and the following two years of desperately looking for jobs in the industry. I found myself gravitating towards digital painting, primarily focusing on character, creature and environment design. In the two years following my graduation I was working random jobs while creating a portfolio and honing my skills as a digital concept artist/painter. Finally, this was precisely what got me into the industry. Throughout my 11 years of experience in those industries I had a chance to further improve my fundamental skills with composition, lighting and value. These fundamentals as well as a mindset for commercially appealing design created a smooth transition into my fine art career down the road but also most importantly allowed me to be a fine artist with a more unique style due to not having a formal traditional fine art training.

RS: For the benefit of our readers could you describe your creative process when starting a new painting? Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the flow of creating art?

DS: My creative process is quite simple. Because my work for the most part is not of conceptual nature and neither does it deliver a literal message, I am able to paint anything I feel drawn to in the moment. I don’t try to pigeon hole my own art into one subject matter or style. I don’t think that way of thinking is truly fulfilling to any artist for that matter. That is why I rely a lot on intuition and simply doing what feels right. That being said, of course that does not mean I do not have some high level planning for my work. But generally I try to keep it open and have a two way relationship with my painting in progress. I control certain aspects while at times I let go of control and let the painting itself guide the direction.

RS: You work primarily in acrylics. What made you gravitate towards this medium? Have you experimented with other mediums?

DS: I have worked primarily with acrylics in the beginning. However, in the last few years I have shifted more towards oils. The reason was more of a logistical nature, as I painted at home in our apartment it was easier to deal with cleanup and handling of acrylics being a water soluble medium. When I transitioned my work to a separate studio space, I began painting with oils a lot more as I no longer had concerns about the mess that could follow working with oils.

RS: Your paintings draw inspiration from people around as well as wildlife. What draws you to portraiture and wildlife as primary subjects in your work?

DS: I believe a lot of this comes from my obsession with characters and creatures dating as far back as I can recall. I always found it more rewarding to be able to work on designing a character or a creature for a video game for example. I was always fascinated with personalities. I think another big part of it is that the subjects eyes tell a thousand stories in a subliminal way and that type of connection would not be possible when I painted landscapes and other scenery. I also believe that painting a subject that is alive and that can be interacted with fills the gap between humans and nature. Surely it is possible to feel the connection to a place, sometimes this connection can be even stronger for many people due to association and nostalgia but I think that the connection to our neighbours residing in the same places can potentially be stronger.

RS: Your paintings seem to meld influences from both classical and modern painting disciplines. How do you balance these different influences in your work?

DS: That is a big part of my journey as an artist. I try to offer something different or larger than life. I strive to create an impression of a place or a living thing. This often relates my work to Impressionism but I also try to push it further by finding inspiration in expressionism as well. I try to imbue my work with certain amount of energy translating what we feel from real life subjects rather than how we see them. The balance of classical and modern approaches is a big part of my process as I find it fascinating to walk that thin line between the two and try to bring out the best of that dichotomy. I relate my obsession with duality in art to life itself. I think my curiosity relating to blending classical and modern is not a unique perspective but it is a reflection of every single aspect of our lives and the way our brains are wired to function and perceive everything around us. We are creatures bound by comparative analysis. We need to know there is a beginning and an end, there is darkness and light, there is pleasure and pain to navigate our lives. I think that is why it is reflected in my art style and approach to painting.

RS: How does your experience as an art director in the animation and video game industry influence your painting?

DS: A lot of my experience in that industry allows me to look critically at my own work. More importantly, my experience also allows me to let go and not succumb to the obsession of perfectionism. I think that particular aspect comes from trying to meet deadlines and being able to prioritize and sacrifice as an art director. It also directly explains why I am a fast painter. Tight schedules and quick turnaround in that industry definitely influenced how I work with my traditional painting.

RS: How did winning the National Championship of Art Battle and Battle of the Brush impact your career and artistic direction?

DS: It was definitely a message to me that this may have been the path to take. These types of wins are important but they are especially vital when you first start out on a new journey. Participating, winning, being appreciated by total strangers for my art - increased my confidence in pursuing my fine art career believed to yield “starving artists” and showed me that in this world saturated with countless amazing artists, perhaps I had a special little space as well.

RS: What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are looking to find their own voice and style in the art world?

DS: I too ask myself that question. More so in the past than now. But one thing I realized is that these type of things cannot be forced. The process of painting is magical - it speaks to our audience on a subliminal level, a universal language. This is why if you ever force anything in your painting it most certainly will communicate that to the viewer. They may not be able to put it into exact words but you can be sure they will feel uneasy about your artwork if the primary goal for you as an artist is to find your voice. My advice would be to let your voice find you instead. Painting is such an intuitive process, so it is quite disrupting to apply logical and calculated solutions to it. Forcing a style onto your own work goes directly against the premise of painting, the premise of letting go. This is not to say that you should not look up to other artists and their work. There is a great deal of benefits to be able to connect with other art and analyse it. But don’t make it your artistic life’s goal to find the style. It will come inevitably when you’re seriously diving deeper into painting. Do not let anyone discourage you along your journey. Just because your style may reflect another artist quite closely does not mean you must halt whatever you’re doing and start trying to be unique. It is nearly impossible to be unique in this day and age after decades of exploration by other artists. If your purpose as an artist is only to be unique I would encourage you to reevaluate your path as striving to be unique in my opinion is ego driven and sends you down the rabbit hole of comparing to other artists. Compare yourself to yourself, not others.

Thank you so much Dimitri for talking to The Wise Owl about your creative journey and your art. We wish you the very best in all your artistic pursuits.