Dubai: Diana Foteva's art is far bigger than the canvas and extends to the actual aspects of life's daily circumstances.
Her extraordinary drawings on walls and ceilings merge the two into an exciting blend of reality and fantasy, and in the process, magnificently adorn private residences, villas, palaces, restaurants as well as miscellaneous events.
Foteva sees art as an endless source of creation that enlivens the place its found in.
"To me art motivates both the artist and the art lovers and makes them share its moralistic eternal beauty," she said.
Her creativity is well admired and appreciated.
She says that she has always been drawn to art since her childhood. She majored in art at college.
"I actually grew up with it. I am surrounded by artists... my grandfather, my father and my brother are all professional artists and I believe I take after [them]," she said.
"Since my childhood I went through different likings such as sports and music but at the end art [had its say]."
Foteva, 34, is Bulgarian and is currently working as an art decorator in Dubai.
She said she studied art for 10 years and got her degree in ‘Wall painting' from the National Academy in Sofia. Foteva added that she had also further her studies in the field in Germany at the Burg Giebichenstein in Halle/Saale.
Asked how she introduced her art business into the UAE market, she replied: "In the final year of my German education I was given the opportunity to come to the UAE and work over here with one of the well-known names in decorative art. So from there the business plans unfolded and the actual execution of business started."
Foteva runs Artemia Decoration Studio which she jointly established with her husband in 2004.
Explaining what Artemia means, Foteva said: "Well, my name is Diana, which in the Roman mythology is the deity of hunting and fertility. The equivalent in Greek mythology is Artemida. Here ‘art' speaks for itself."
Diana's clients are both individuals and companies.
"Indeed, but most of my projects are for individual clients, but at the same time I work with interior designers and accomplish multi-team projects such as weddings and other types of events," she said.
She said the time spent on each artwork, be it on a wall or ceiling, depends on how big and how complex the project is.
She added that most of her projects were entire concept which included the design of murals and Trompe L'oeil art, textures and wall finishes and ornamental compositions.
Foteva stressed the importance of paying attention to the small details, which she said should not be left out during the pre-process stage.
"Well, at first I have to set up the [conceptualised] project to my client and then I have to look [at] the place and view the space of wall or ceiling that [the client desires to have done] artistically... and I then get the final approval to proceed."
Foteva said while most people preferred landscaped art, as opposed to portrait designs, it largely depended on an individual's talent.
"You know, tastes of people vary. My job is to perceive the client's needs and act accordingly. But if I have to specify, then yes, definitely the majority are much drawn to landscapes."
She believes that the presence of a work of art in a house or office can positively uplift the general mood of people.
Transformation
"... that's the idea of art decoration, It's amazing to be part of the process of transforming and creating of a whole new world, where bare walls and ceilings come alive," she said.
Asked on where she turned to regularly for inspiration — art courses or interior art magazines — she said: "In fact I feel [uplifted and inspired by] fulfilling every new project and the variety of demands and different tastes certainly assist me [in envisioning] more artistic ideas that [will] soon [be] interpreted to reality. But I believe the background and experience are the main [cornerstone] of creativity."
Artist: Diana Foteva
Diana Foteva's extraordinary drawings on walls and ceilings merge the two factors of reality and fantasy in skilful fashion. Foteva said the time spent on each artwork, be it on a wall or ceiling, depends on how big and how complex the project is. She stressed the importance of paying attention to detail: "Indeed, but most of my projects are for individual clients, but at the same time I work with interior designers and accomplish multi team projects such as weddings and other types of events."
