Abstract colorful digital art with a blurred flower-like shape and vibrant streaks of pink, green, blue, yellow, and black.

This is Valeria Konovalova.

Valeria Konovalova, painter – Moscow

My journey as an artist unfolds through experimental watercolor, a medium that serves as both a mirror and a portal to my inner world.

For me, creativity is more than an activity. It is the essence of existence and a profound expression of love for the inner self.

Through my work, I seek to connect the chaos of external reality with the human subconscious, inviting viewers to explore their own inner worlds.

Themes

My paintings search for harmony between nature and humanity. Complex emotions intertwine to form an expressive narrative shaped by melancholy, nostalgia for what has passed, trepidation before the future, loneliness, and love.

My work often reflects the social mood of an era defined by rapid change. External upheavals are transformed into motifs that feel personal, yet universal.

Creative Process

My creative process begins with chaos and spontaneity.

I start with a free-flowing composition, allowing random washes of paint to determine the initial form. From this foundation, I gradually build detail, transforming individual elements into self-contained worlds.

The process resembles a theatrical performance in which the stage remains constant while the scenery changes with each act.

This method reflects the fluidity of thoughts and emotions, allowing a single idea to evolve into a multidimensional universe.

A girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a green shirt and blue shorts, sitting in a grassy field, painting on a canvas with a vibrant, abstract landscape, under a clear blue sky with scattered clouds, surrounded by trees.

Mindflyers – the creation

Inspiration

My sources of inspiration come from many different realms:

  • the vibrant culture, everyday life, and philosophy of Asia

  • dreamlike landscapes

  • the visual language of the 1980s and 1990s

  • the imagined worlds of twentieth-century fantasists who anticipated the technological future

The roots of my style can be traced to surrealism and magical realism, traditions that allow me to expand the boundaries of conventional watercolor.

Materials and Technique

I work with eco-friendly materials, including natural pigments, synthetic brushes, and ceramic surfaces used as palettes.

By combining different techniques, I create greater depth, texture, and visual complexity.

A Larger Narrative

Each work is a fragment of a wider narrative.

Together, these fragments invite the viewer into a world where the boundaries of reality begin to dissolve, revealing hidden landscapes of the soul.

An artist standing in a room holds a large, colorful painted canvas. The painting depicts a surreal scene with two figures holding hands under a vibrant pink and purple sky with flying birds. The room has warm-toned walls, a wooden cabinet, and various art supplies and paintings visible around.

Valeria in her studio

Biography

Valeria Konovalova (b. 1997, Russia) is an experimental watercolor artist based in Moscow, working at the intersection of psychedelic and magical realism – a practice she calls meta-magical realism. She graduated from the Kosygin State University of Russia with a degree in Graphic Design and studied under abstract artist Vladimir Pankratov. After a period working as an illustrator – selling original watercolors to collectors in the United States and Europe and fulfilling commercial commissions – she shifted entirely to contemporary fine art practice. Her first solo exhibition, "Rooms," was held in 2024 in Phuket, Thailand – organized and curated independently, without institutional support, in a historic Sino-Portuguese wooden building. The exhibition combined painting, architecture, object, and live sound performance into a single environment.

Portfolio

To download portfolio, click the link.

For gallery and press inquiries, see Contact page.