The students of JHS art have been busy these past couple weeks working with guest artist Evgeny “Geny” Krayushkin. He is a local artist who works with mixed media to create pieces that tell stories. His art can be found at the gallery in Mifflintown, as well as at zheka-art.weebly.com. The theme of the residency has been how to tell a story through art. Students were taught the art of storytelling, and came up with a concept for their own art that told a story they cared about. The students then created different sculptures and relief paintings that conveyed the story they wished to tell. Geny was asked a variety of questions about his work and his style, and what inspires him to come and teach students:
Interviewer: “What first drew you to art?”
Geny: “Well, telling stories. That’s my favorite thing about art, is being able to tell a story. I like reading books and they make pictures in your mind. This is kind of the same way. You see a story in your mind and picture visuals. It’s part of the fun.”
I: “How long have you been creating/ selling your art?”
G: “I’ve been creating for probably about 40 years, but selling only in the last 15 years or so.
I: “What do you enjoy most about being an artist?”
G: “Well it’s being an alien. Looking at the world from a different perspective. Sometimes it’s just being lost and finding your way and kind of discovering new things along the way.”
I: “What do you enjoy most about being a guest artist?”
G: “I enjoy most of all seeing the individual stories students produce. That is very interesting to me because they are very original and very interesting. It shows the diversity of the individuals that are in each of those schools. It’s really just seeing their creative process and what they make, as well as helping make that happen. Helping students tell a great story is my favorite part.”
I: “What is your favorite medium to work with and why?”
G: “Well I do both sculpture and painting, so they are both my favorite. Sculpture because you can show more depth and a better story because there are so many sides of it you can explore. And color is another thing. I enjoy using color to tell a story as well.”
I: “What would you say most inspires you?”
G: “I really am just inspired by individuals and their lives. Sometimes their struggles, their joys. All those things inspire me. There are a lot of inspirational individuals out there I am inspired by. I also like to entertain myself and have fun. Putting in a little bit of work and creativity and having fun.”