Artist Paints at Bottom of Lake

Last Update: March 13, 2015 at 1:47 pm

A Russian artist creates his paintings in the freezing depths of a lake to capture the underwater experience.

Yuriy Alekseev, 49, dons diving gear to drag his painting equipment to the bottom of the lake to create his waterscapes.

Each painting can take him up to 90 minutes to complete once he has submerged himself in the frigid waters of Lake Baikal in Russia, near his home in the village of Baikal.

Mr Alekseev uses natural oil paints on a primed canvas which allows him to paint when he is below the surface of the lake.

He said: “The biggest difficulty while working underwater in Baikal is not covering a canvas with paints, but the temperature.

 

“You must work wearing thick gloves which make it difficult even to squeeze the paint out of the tube. The paint becomes stiffer when the temperature is one degree centigrade. “Besides that, your perception changes as optical illusions appear to make everything bigger and the light that filters into the Baikal waters changes your perception of colours.”

He was photographed by Andrey Nekrasov, a professional underwater photographer, who was amazed by Mr Alekseev’s artwork.

Mr Nekrasov said: “At first I did not know why it was necessary. You could take photos and paint in your comfortable studio.

“But the sensation and perception of the world is completely different when you’re beneath the water as there is no disturbing noise. The inspiration and energy which you get underwater can’t be felt anywhere else.”

 

SOURCE: Orange Co Uk

See picture story here:

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Artist_paints_at_the_bottom_of_a_lake