ELLECTRA ART

 DONKA NUCHEVA ELLECTRA

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My Story

 

I was born in Bulgaria with a great passion, rather than talent for art. After becoming acquainted with the work of artists such as Boris Vallejo and Luis Royo I developed a fascination with figurative art.

 

​I spent lots of time copying their work to study how they achieved such a mastery rather than being a good student at class. Which left me being no good at math or any of the sciences.

 

While other kids were participating in class I was secretly drawing in my notepad. While they were doing their homework I was painting. 

 

So, it became obvious to me that I had no academic strength and the only path I could travel was in the pursuit of bettering the only skill I’d developed thus far, even though it made no economic sense at the time. Being the second child of a single mother, never knowing my father and experiencing poverty, even at such young age I was considering economics.

 

Nevertheless, I entered the National High School for fine arts which was a great learning experience. I still had poor grades at everything, but I excelled in art classes.

 

I began to improve as an artist and I started taking commissions at 14. This allowed me to have money for supplies, and simple necessities like clothing. This was a more informative experience than my education itself. It taught me to work with customers and how to sell art which is just as important as making it, and there was no class teaching this.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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I started painting Trompe L’oeil (illusion of the eye) murals that challenge the boundaries of perspective for hotels, restaurants, and private properties. I became known as the first artist to do so in Bulgaria. I began being interviewed on tv (videos you see below) and doing everything from sculpture, paintings, murals to illustrating children's books.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 

Unfortunately, when I turned 17, I lost the most precious person to me and my best friend, my mum. Inheriting a large debt and feeling lost I immersed myself into working full-time as an artist trying to resolve my financial situation. I changed my mode of study to part-time student, so I could both work and graduate. 

 

Shortly after graduating I met a special someone who was a student in the UK and with a heart full of hope and adventure decided to move into the UK with her in search of new challenges and opportunities.

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I found them both in abundance. I had a year full of struggle as a new immigrant. At the time I was unable to be an employee due to immigration laws, so I had to figure out how to be an artist in a new country knowing no one and not knowing the language. I turned poverty into science where I lived on £50 per month after taking care of my bills. I wasn't allowed any government benefits at the time and to this day I have never taken a penny from the country. 

 

Slowly I started getting on my feet again. During the initial adjustment period I ended up painting things I didn't like, that didn’t reflect me. Realising this, refocused my energy into doing what I do best, namely figurative art.

 

Creating sensuality and romance, things that bring joy to me and my customers. 

 

Social media started taking off and with it my followers and customers grew.

 

Many pages with millions of followers started sharing my art, and with that my following grew. Through that I gained opportunities to exhibit in Scotland and England. 

 

I can only express my gratitude to whoever is up there and the many customers I've had over the years who believed in me, invested in me, and put their trust in my work. Thank you!​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Love,

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Ellectra 

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