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Dimitar Velichkov – Bulgaria

Painter

My name is Dimitri Velichkov, Ivanov by passport name, but I prefer to sign Velichkov in my pictures, because Ivanov is a very common name, not only in Bulgaria but also in Russia and other European countries. I was born in Sophia, Bulgaria, the capital, but my parents were not from there. They were students. The biggest part of my life has been in Sophia. I love my country.

I like my profession. I know it is difficult. People don’t always understand it. It doesn’t fit the stereotypes of modern living, because people sometimes think artists are some crazy kind of person who don’t know how to live practically. But this is my way; this is how I want to live my life. I live for my pictures. This is why, these are not my words, but from an interview I read once with a famous director Parkovski: He said we lived in a world that was ill designed. That is why we need art. Art tries to make the world better. I like very much these words. Every day I think about them. I like the idea of making the world better and my country better.

I paint mostly in a traditional way, but I am on a crossroad. I think I should start something else. I feel the need to change the media or things I do. I finished my education in illustration and graphic design, but this not my way to work, with computers and technology. I did some projects with that, but I feel an artist is not trapped in some specific thing. He must jump from one style to another, to find himself exactly where he belongs.