Each collection tells a story, and in between them emerge singular works — fragments of searching, pauses, and quiet revelations.
Between 1993 and 2008, I did not preserve photographic records or detailed documentation of my work. At the time, I didn’t anticipate the importance of building a formal archive.
During this period, my practice was shaped by experimentation, commissioned works, numerous still life works (flowers and fruits), and charcoal sketches. I also held two solo exhibitions — Frozen in Time (1993) and Abstract Illusions (2008) — each consisting of approximately ten works. These pieces were sold at the time, without detailed records being kept, a reflection of both my youth and the informal nature of that stage in my artistic journey.
Although largely undocumented, this period remains a meaningful foundation of my artistic development. In 2024, I revisited that period by recreating, in a concise form, a small number of charcoal works — a quiet gesture of reflection rather than reconstruction.
Winter on the Lane II, 2024
(30x40cm, charcoal sketch on paper)
This is a sketch of a piece part of Abstract Illusions collection, originally painted in oil on canvas.
At the Edge of the Village, 2024
(30x40cm, charcoal sketch on paper)
As well, the oil on canvas painting sketched here was part of Abstract Illusions collection (2008).
Friends at the Window, 2024
(40x30cm, charcoal sketch on paper)
The composition itself — featuring the white cat and the ceramic Santa — originally appeared in my second collection, Frozen in Time (1993), and reflects an early affinity for motifs such as cats, zebras, and horses, which I would come to recognize more consciously later on.
As a matter of principle, I never repeat or recreate an existing work. For this reason, when revisiting elements from that period, I chose to translate them into charcoal sketches rather than replicate the original oil paintings.