Alexey Yuryevich Valyalin was born in 1970 in the village of Fedoskino which, is situated in the Moscow region. Now he currently resides there.
Since boyhood, he has been fascinated with the sea. At one point his father took him to the Museum of Art in Feodosia during their vacation at the Black Sea. This art museum was converted from the studio of Ivan Aivazovsky, Russia's greatest seascape artist who was born, raise and eventually finished his career in Feodosia. In fact, in our interview, Valyalin admitted to loving the works of Aivazovsky. There can be no doubt that this visit to the museum, in addition to his own artistic talent, influenced his decision to become an artist and paint seascapes. Before he realized that dream and attended the Fedoskino Art School, he served for three years in the Soviet Navy on an anti-submarine ship that was stationed in Latvia. Just as experiencing the power of the sea enhanced Aivazovsky's paintings, surely, Valyalin got the same impressions and experiences from sailing with the navy that now enable him to create the wonderful seascapes that he does.
Valyalin finished the Fedoskino School of miniature painting in 1993. His teachers were such brilliant artists as V.D. Antonov, V.N. Frolov, N.G. Marchakov. His graduation diploma works are "Fair", "The War of 1812". Now Valyalin currently works at the Fedoskino factory. He also does some freelance work on the side.
Valyalin is very concerned about the quality of his work. He tries never to copy a piece, and strives to make every new piece his best piece ever. (This was also the approach of Aivazovsky.) It isn't very important for the artist how long it takes him to create a new piece, he worries only about the quality. Creating his works the painter tries to convey the unique beauty of nature. For this purpose Alexey uses a wide spectrum of colors. His painting technique is very traditional, and shows the influence of Russian classical painters especially of Aivazovsky, who himself was influenced by the Romantic period and by Dutch seascapist, Claude Lorraine. Both artists used a method of painting with thin layers of color on the canvas to create a transparent effect, which can also be seen in Valyalin's work. However, being a very skilful artist in his own right, he often uses his own technique of inlaid mother of pearl to highlight his seascapes. He also prefers to use a cool color palette. His pieces are notable for subtle graphic technique, clear composition, interesting subjects, wonderful color combinations and unique execution.
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Valyalin painting at his desk
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In addition to his title of sailor and artist, Valyalin adds "body builder" the list. In a message from him to you, he thanks all of his collectors for "understanding his quality". He wishes admires of his talent good luck and happiness.
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