Tulip Time Poster Winning Art Through The Years
After a long grey West Michigan winter we are all so eager to see bright colors. We impatiently wait for them, talk about them, ask each other: did they come out yet? As if we are talking about public arrival of the Queen with her noble entourage. And then…as soon as the news reaches the town that they are here, we all, no matter what age we are, run to the streets to witness the royal appearance. And, boy, do they have lots of colors of imported silk and suede in all imaginable shades! Did I mention that I am talking about tulips?
“Spectacle”, 2016 Tulip Time Festival Poster Winner. Original sold. Prints are available.
“Spectacle” is all about it: the most joyful spectacle of the sunshine colors that each of us need so much in our life! The painting process of this piece of art was highly intuitive, without any planning, sketching and thinking. The movement of my hand was immensely energetic dancing on the canvas with lots of reds and yellows and thinning medium to have an emotional effect of natural color blends without human interference. I allowed nature to do Her thing! And apparently, the Tulip Time Festival judges and committee, on that October day of 2015, felt that this piece of art deserves to be THE poster of the year and to be on all merchandize representing Tulip Time Festival 2016!
“Vivacious”
In 2012 I decided to challenge myself by starting from scratch just like in 1996, leaving all familiar in the collapsed Soviet Union and moving with my two daughters to the USA, the local family helped me to settle in Holland, MI. At the age of 51 I quit my job in adoption and decided to devote myself to the arts. Very soon I realized that in order for me to establish myself as a local artist I must paint tulips.
And that’s how it all started: “Vivacious” painted in August 2014 to be submitted in September, was accepted into the Top 20 for the 2015 Tulip Time Festival Poster Contest.
“Vivacious”, 2015, Top 20, People’s Choice Award. Sold.
Tulips are much more than spring flowers. For centuries they have been a symbol of beauty and prosperity. But to me, they symbolize a story of my family immigration. Just like tulips immigrated from Turkey, to Germany, then Netherland, then Holland, Michigan, our family, after leaving collapsed Soviet Union, in a long journey from Siberia, landed here, in Holland, Michigan.
“Creamsicle”, 2017 Tulip Time Festival Poster Contest, Top 20. Sold
“Creamsicle”
“Creamsicle”, 2017 Tulip Time Festival, Top 20. Sold
“Creamsicle” is a true symbol of our family’s American Dream life. A full of abundance of joy, where ice cream and cream are no longer deficit. And we are to share and celebrate our life with this most generous community of West Michigan.
Icecream, and even cream, had been a huge deficit among everything else in collapsed Soviet Union. My father treated his granddaughters with ice cream only on special occasions. In the USA we found out about another playful variation of this delicatesse: iceacls! To me, both, ice cream and iceacls are all associated with abundance, playfulness, childhood, getting loose and having fun. And that’s exactly how I created this painting: my brushes were running around, making fun of each other, joking and laughing on the canvas! Yes, they were really naughty and wild, spilled lots of sprinkles on everything in my studio, and I was totally cool with that! I allowed myself to get back to my inner self and get it loose that day of painting!
“Queendom”, 2017 Tulip Time Festival, Top 20
“Queendom”
And that’s how I reflected my perception of tulips in this painting: sophistication and nobility are represented by aristocratic and elegant color. The flowers stand straight with poise grace and confidence against cold spring winds. And that is represented through composition, rich paint texture and bold strokes with a palette knife. When I look at the painting I subconsciously stand straight, open up my shoulders and boldly look at my future.
I am one of them. I am the Queen.
“Creamsicle”(left) and “Queendom” (right), 2017 Tulip Time Festival, Top 20. Sold
Painting tulips has become to me much more than just painting flowers. They symbolize perseverance, hard work, hope and abundance of joy. Tulips are something that we are so looking forward to after a long, seemingly endless, Michigan winter. To me, it’s far beyond their elegant beauty. Vivacious, they keep coming every year to remind us that we can overcome any obstacle, and we can create our kingdoms and queendoms!
“The Gift of Presence”, 2025 Tulip Time Festival, Top 20
2016, Tulip Time Festival parade downtown Holland, MI. The Mayor of the City Nancy DeBoer welcomes my family to join the parade in that fabulous vehicle! In my mind, it was an official acceptance of us, immigrants from Siberia, to the local community. It was a huge honor, the last step on our immigration process. Through my art.
The moral of the story:
Never hesitate to Dream Big. You just never know- it might become true.
Sending you all the warmest wishes in your life journey.
With LOVE,
Alla
