Oleg Birioukov, first feature

You'll find Oleg Birioukov's work on his official site and deviantART

Written by Crina Prida,
photographer and UdA Editor

Art Model Anna

Today I will introduce you to a Toronto-based photographer with a Russian heart.

His photographic journey has started a few decades ago, back in his home country; from old Soviet cameras to the digital world, his photographic journey has stopped for quite a long time.







From the series "The Dark Hall"
"Dance I"




When I first saw his photos, I fell in love with the underlying feeling of restlessness - the female subject is never taken for granted, but looked at and presented as a work of art. Then again, apart from his love for women portrayal, Oleg has a unique and mysterious way of showing ordinary scenery - his series The Dark Hall, has been among my top favorite galleries on Pbase, and I always go back there only to like it more.

Now, I let Oleg introduce himself.

Thank you, Oleg, for your wonderful eclectic art and inspiration.

"Birthday Gift"

One of his favorite quote :

"The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives." Albert Einstein

"Infinity"
Art Model Ava Ainsley

"Frost"

"Dance IX"
Art Model Polina

I was born in 1963 in Novorossiysk, RUSSIA. My father occasionally was taking family photos. Due to the lack of available photo lab services in the USSR he was processing film and making enlargements in the make-shift "darkroom" in the family washroom.

We spent many nights in that room yelling in unison : "Don't turn on the lights!" at the people trying to use the toilet.

For my 12th birthday my parents got me a LOMO camera "Smena". At the time LOMO wasn't cool (or hot) as it is now. It was a plastic cheap camera manufactured using parts unfit for the main LOMO products: optics for the Soviet military. I quickly became bored with taking pictures of friends and cats and began experimenting, trying to recreate and capture scenes from my imagination.

"The show must go on"
Art Model Polina

"Gallery II"
Art Model Heather

"Composition SH2"
Art Model Shawntal

















Later, while completing my education in Marine College, I got access to the semi-professional photo lab and had a chance to advance my technical level.

After graduation I got my first SLR "Zenith" and met several members of the local photo club, who taught me appreciation of the photography as an art and shared their vast technical expertise of survival in total deficit of photo materials and equipment. I became a pro.

Being a pro in the USSR meant taking mostly wedding and funeral pictures, capturing "outstanding" (inevitably boring) events of the local social life and in spare time trying to make something... different. After Perestroika things changed a little and I had opportunities to work for advertising and fashion industry.

I think at that moment I've noticed that capturing female beauty was what I really wanted to do.

"Chair"

The desire was coming from a desperate attempt to capture and preserve something which isn't going to last. (80s - 90s works and another site I had built in late 90s as an exercise in web design, yet hasn't updated since then, sorry for the outdated look).

I want my images of nude models to be non erotic. I don't want women in my photos to be the objects of sexual desire. I simply don't.

I want the viewer to feel what I feel : my admiration of the form, texture, interplay of shades and colors. Nothing else.

I prefer developing ideas with a particular model in mind. Novelty attraction wears off rather fast. When I'm working with a new model I almost instantly recognize if we ever are going to work again or not.I don't have a good reaction. I'm slow. I need plenty of time to plan a photo session and even more time to post-process. I've never been and never will be a street photographer, a paparazzi or a reporter.

I'm a lab guy. My darkroom is my kingdom, even though now it's completely digital and not very "dark".

"Enigma"
Art Model Sury

"Substratum" by Carlotta Dongar with Ange Bonello

Carlotta Dongar

A new member of Univers d'Artistes

"L'art est mon mode de vie: la photo est l'étoffe qui me sert à vêtir mon monde et l'aquarelle en est le fil qui tisse le tout en une cohésion visuelle."

Carlotta Dongar is a renowned photographer and water-colourist from Martinique after long years of travels all around the world. 

She sent me a lot of high res photographies when I told her I would love to exhibit her beautiful work. I'm so happy and proud of her enthusiasm. 

Of course, and as usual, I have had to make a choice. After a long meeting with myself in my conference room, all the photographies on the floor like my beloved Carrie Leigh did it before to publish my friends, I choosed her impressive and emotional portraits of Ange Bonello. Carlotta Dongar has captured his essence in a long and inspired series. 

And as she is multi-talented artist, I have added some other facets of his work.

Carlotta, you are sweet and lovely. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your joy and your confidence. Welcome on board ! 😊

By herself : 

Issue d’études universitaires en Art et Archéologie à l’Université d’Ottawa, j’ai étudié les arts et la photo dans le cadre des deux programmes que j’avais choisi. Après avoir oeuvré pendant de nombreuses années comme professeur d’arts visuels dans différents lycées de l’ouest canadien et au Québec, j’ai rejoint les Antilles-Guyane où j’ai privilégié la photo comme moyen d’expression.

Mes photos reflètent mon amour pour l’aquarelle et c’est l’effet recherché: le photo-aquarellisme, terme que j’ai créé pour décrire mon art: faire des aquarelles avec mon appareil photo. 

Des dialogues entre la lumière et ses contrastes, les couleurs et des des échanges visuels entre les formes et les graphismes de la nature.

Shooting de "Substratum" avec Ange Bonello

Ma première intention photographique se rattache à Ange Bonello, l'être qu'il est au plus profond de lui, son message, sa cohésion avec son art, ses arts, sa sensibilité et son expression du monde contemporain qui l'habite avec tant d'élégance et de mouvance. On ne peut être indifférent à cet homme doué de milles facettes colorées et intenses tel un phare dans l'obscurantisme actuel.

Ma seconde intention photographique est de montrer au maximum les émotions qui émanent de ce corps. Pour ce shooting ma technicité en macro, qui est ma préférence en photographie, m'a servie de guide et j'ai cherché à ne regarder que certains aspects du corps et à les mettre en évidence plutôt que de prendre en photo des 'scènes' dans leur intégralité.

J'ai opté ici pour une approche très intimiste, très 'macro' et surtout très sensible à tout mouvement de Ange. 

Favorisant tantôt le visage, tantôt le torse, tantôt les jambes et le tout au gré de ses mouvements que je scrutais à la loupe, j'ai attendu ces petits instants furtifs où la vie se dessine d'elle-même sur le corps de l'artiste que j'avais en face de moi.  J'ai suivi du regard toute son évolution, dans les moindres changements de messages et dans les mouvements les plus imperceptibles. Très attentive à toute sa performance j'ai reçu en plein objectif chacune de ses émotions.

Chacune de ces photos est le résultat d'un ressenti profond et tellement insoutenable que mes mains se comportaient indépendamment de ma volonté,  comme imbibées de conscience visuelle et universelle.  

Merci Ange pour ces moments de pure splendeur artistique et de pure éternisation de l'être humain.

The other facets of the talent of Carlotta Dongar

 Arrangement Cosmique

Les Fous

Magie diurne

The palmares of Carlotta Dongar :

Expositions:

Arts visuels et aquarelle:
Regina, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Alberta, Vancouver, Colombie-Britanique (Canada)

Photographie:

- ‘Entre mer, ciel et terre’, Le Carbet et St-Pierre Martinique, 20 juin au 20 juillet 2016
- ‘Etincelles aquatiques’, St-Pierre, Martinique, 16 juillet au 20 septembre 2016
- ‘Pool Art FAIR’ Martinique, 24 au 28 novembre 2016, salon d’art international, exposante photographe.
- Créatrice de ‘Fusion’Elles©’: un concept de fusion entre mes photos et l’art d’une artiste peintre: exposition de cette collection du 25-29  mars 2017 à St-Pierre, et à partir du 2 avril au 2 juin à la galerie d’art de l’aéroport du Lamantin.
- Collection ‘Taijitu’ en exposition au restaurant La Case Thaï, à partir du 4 mai-4 juin 2017, en préparation.
- Photographe invitée en Gaspésie, Québec (Canada) été 2017 sur le thème de la mer ainsi qu’à Montréal en  juillet 2017, en préparation.

Créatrice et/ou co-fondatrice de:
- Imagin’Art, guilde de peintres, Regina, Saskatchewan (1991)
- ‘Schooll’art Club’ dans trois lycées, ouest canadien (entre 1991 et 2006).
- 'Groupe de la Paix: Art et Création’, lycée Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
- ‘Association ‘Passifoto’, Martinique (2014)

Professeur-enseignante d’arts visuels, lycées:
- Father Lacombe, Calgary Alberta (Canada 2006-2008)
- Calgary French Immersion School, Calgary, Alberta (Canada 2003-2006)
- Campbell Collegiate, Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada 1993-2003)
- Artiste photographe invitée pour dispenser des ateliers de photo et d’art à l’hôpital du Carbet,
   avril-juin 2017.

Juge photographe: concours photo de l’association Paul Gauguin, Le Carbet, Martinique (2016)

The lights of Darren Phillips

Darren Phillips

No more site

Member of UdA since 2007

"Enchanted Forrest"

 "Winter Sunrise"
Art Model Anne Duffy

I am Darren Phillips and I am an artist working in the medium of photography and, more specifically, in the discipline of fine-art nude photography in the landscape.

The world of nudie magazines and editorial glamour for the men’s market is of no appeal.

It is the play of light, the contrast of form, the primal honesty of the nude as a part of the world that inspires me and directs my course.

"What Will Be"

Art Model Dollybeck

"Warmer Days"

Art Model Dollybeck

"Thursday"

Art Model Jessamyne

"Steps"

Art Model Renee

"Room With A View"
Art Model Jade












Although based in Adelaide, I do travel in my work and so the opportunity to engage with the art and craft of my photography is forever motivated by new places, new experiences and new people to create with.

Development as an artist is a slow and meticulous course to explore and in time it would be my hope that I could exhibit my work in galleries, catalogues and monographs.

The success of my work rests just not on my own abilities and thoughts but also on the unique and varying input each and every model brings to the shoot with them. Every image is a collaboration between my vision and my model’s understanding and response to that vision.

To those who have joined me on my journey I am deeply thankful and respectful and to those with whom I am yet to work all I ask is that you look at my work, understand my objectives and become a part of this exciting visual adventure.

"At Your Mercy"

"Night Light"
Art Model Soph

"Steel Wheels"

Art Model Kelly

"A cool breeze"

Art Model Dollybeck

"Inner City Madness"
Art Model Dollybeck

About him by K Ridge :

" Darren is a unique individual who manages effortlessly to relate to all types of people.

His sincercity, compassion and non-judgemental nature allows him to observe his surroundings with a genuine awareness you rarely find.

These characteristics are part of the reason he has been able to develop and capitalise on his photographic talent.

It is almost impossible to feel anything but comfortable in Darren's presence. His acute understanding of the photographic craft combined with a sensitive attitude, keen eye and (sometimes) wicked sense of fun makes the entire process a pleasure."

"Forrest Nymph"

Art Model Lena

"In the Darkness"

"Sorrow"
Art Model Bella

Darren Phillips viewed by his Art Models :

" Darren Phillips is a great photographer who not only has a very serious side, can be the most fun you have ever had. He is very easy- going but take great pride in his work. When he captures the shot, HE DOES IT WELL !" Jodie Bellon

" Darren Phillips is very creative and professional. He is an open minded, funny, easy going photographer. A joy to work with." Melanie

" Darren Phillips was great to work with and has a great sense of humour. We got some awesome images that were taken on a bitterly cold day ! Very much looking forward to working with him again and seeing what we get in warmer weather !" Dollybeck

"Silver Wings"
Art Model Niansa

"Yesterdays Delivery"
Art Model Jennie May

"Lazy Days"
Art Model Deb

"A Day Out"
Art Models Sonja and Bella

"The Dance"
Art Model Anne Duffy