Location: South Africa
Vasco Kirov was born in the town of Dobrich, Bulgaria in 1960. He had a formal education in music and worked as a violin teacher in the early eighties. A desire for greater creative exposure and richer life experiences subsequently lead him to working as a prospecting driller, knife maker, blacksmith and ethnic jewellery maker, among others. After immigrating to South Africa in 1991, he immersed himself in fine jewellery design and manufacture, and was awarded seven prestigious design awards for excellence in diamond jewellery design. Vasco still designs and fabricates fine jewellery pieces in his studio in Cape Town.
Vasco started painting in 2003 as a means of exploring a new form of creative expression. He never paints real objects – the compositions and colours rather spring from dreams or visualizations. Conveying an overall emotional impetus is what drives the creative process, rather than a direct representation of actual forms and colours. Vasco’s work is known for his use of vibrant colours and plentiful texture.
"For me painting is a way to convey to others what my inner reality looks like. I guess, that is what most artists are trying to do. This is why my paintings are mostly abstract. I access this inner reality with my eyes closed, in a quiet and relaxed state or in lucid dreams, which I am blessed to have from time to time. In this personal reality light and colour form structures with astonishing size and grandeur generating emotions and strong desire to share the experience. Sharing however is not easy. It is like to listen to the most amazing music and then try to talk about it. I am not sure that I will ever be able to express these experiences in full, but every painting brings me a bit closer."
This collection is introducing one relatively new and very sophisticated material-Stainless Steel- alone or mixed with traditional art media.
123 x 123 x 7.5cm
(48″ x 48″ x 3″)
Wall sculpture
Stainless steel / Duco painted board
54 x 36cm
(21″ x 14″)
Stailess steel / Brass
330 x 480 x 250cm
(13″ x 19″ x 10″)
Stainless Steel / Maple wood
62 x 62 x 4cm
(24″ x 24″)
Stainless steel & oil on canvas
This is a collection of collages depicting the long route of coffee from the sunny fields of exotic far away countries to the steaming cup of the delicious brew with all its varieties. The many colors and textures associated with a high end coffee shop experience are captured in lush and thick chocolate, cream, coffee and custard impasto strokes, soaked with chocolate sauce.
80 x 80 x 4cm
(32″ x 32″ x 1.5″)
Mixed media on canvas
80 x 80 x 4cm
(32″ x 32″ x 1.5″)
Mixed media on canvas
80 x 80 x 4cm
(32″ x 32″ x 1.5″)
Mixed media on canvas
63 x 63 x 4cm
Mixed media on canvas
63 x 63 x 4cm
Mixed media on canvas
For these works I got inspired by number of 18th century orthodox Christian icons I observed in several churches in Bulgaria. My attention was drawn not so much on the actual artwork but on the battered condition of the boards and the story their scars tell. I wanted to interpret that story and started the Icons collection.
55 x 39cm
(22″ x 15″)
Acrylic on reclaimed wood
68 x 49cm
(27″ x 19″)
Acrylic on reclaimed wood
“Archangels Michael and Gabriel”
80 x 57 x 3 cm
(32″ x 22" x 1″)
Mixed media on reclaimed wood
Light and color have fascinated man since time immemorial. Light and color are the media through which the gemstones express themselves. Painting gemstones on canvas is my way of celebrating that light and color, representing gems in a big scale, where no magnification is needed and placing them in the matrix environment associated with their creation.
104 x 135 x 4cm
(41″ x 53″ x 1.5″)
Mixed media on canvas
160 x 115 x 4cm
(63″ x 45″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
104 x 104 x 4cm
(41″ x 41″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
104 x 104 x 4cm
(41″ x 41″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
80 x 80 x 4cm
(32″ x 32″ x 1.5″)
Mixed media on canvas
These are pictures of places I visited in my dreams. In a lucid dream the colours are much brighter than in reality, or what we generally refer to as such. There is a story behind some of them but what I am trying to capture is the overall mood and the ever present sensation of mystery.
135 x 135 x 4cm
(53″ x 53″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
135 x 135 x 4cm
(53″ x 53″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
135 x 135 x 4cm
(53″ x 53″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
135 x 135 x 4
(53″ x 53″ x 1.5″)
Acrylic on canvas
160 x 115 x 4cm
(63″ x 45″)
Acrylic on canvas
“The Grand Piano”
“The Beach”
“Bird bath”
“Harley Vase”
“Bolders Beach”
“Cafe Collage L3”
“Cafe Collage L2”
“Cafe Collage L1”
“Cafe Collage M1”
“Cafe collage M2”
“Christ 1”
“The Virgin”
“Emerald 2”
“Fancy color diamonds”
“Ruby 2”
“Aquamarine 2”
“Aquamarine 1”
“The Lighthouse”
“Treasure island”
“The Aurora Lights”
“The Beacon”
“Winter tale”
