Check out Mila Sketch’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mila Sketch.

Mila, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My life story up to this moment is the story of visual art evolving and expanding through me. I was born in the port city of Murmansk, Russia on the border between Norway and Finland to a family of a geologist mother and the chef on the geological mission ship father. I started to take an interest in art early on. My parents didn’t pay much attention to my passion for creativity until I secretly took the exams to art school that I entered at the age of six. I received my first award in art at the age of eight with “Camping in the Ice” winning the young talent contest. The artwork was exposed in Murmansk Regional Museum. I continued my art education by completing a full course of animation and 3-D modeling and getting a bachelor degree in Marketing and PR.

What indeed gave me the best artistic experience is traveling. I moved around the globe with a mission to create a new art collection or at least an artwork everywhere I went. I spent a year living and working in London in 2010. I was awarded a solo art show at the prestige Pall Mall Gallery. My entire line of artworks was sold on the opening night. My painting “Choices” in Tel-a-Viv during the international art conference was chosen to be a symbol of the meeting that year of 2011.

While participating in the group art show in San Francisco in 2014, I’ve met Julia Dixon, the love of my life, and now wife. A year later we together moved to Austin, TX. Julia is a wine professional. We have collaborated in creating an art show dedicated to the history of wine “The Soil of the Soul” in the Art for The People Gallery in 2016-2017. We also released the Sketch Texas Tempranillo wine in collaboration with Vinovium Partners. Austin has quickly become a home to us. The city cultural life and diversity brought many fantastic art projects to me. In Austin, I was able to create art within some rad partnerships, such as Mazda USA, Google, Clif Bar, ACL, LifeProof.

Nevertheless, my heart is always getting the most satisfaction in creating art for non-profits. I can proudly say that working with Austin Parks Foundation, Idea Public Schools, the Upbring, CAN’d Aid Foundation, Raasing in the Sun, HOPE Campaign, and Ride Austin inspired me to create some of my better artworks yet.

Recently I focused on large-scale murals in Public Art programs. I believe that contemporary artist must have a clear message and bright idea and it should be visible to the public though connection to history, culture and the local community.

The example of this artworks are;
– The “Honoring the past and innovating the future” mural in downtown Georgetown, TX.
– The new project at the new terminal of Austin Bergstrom International Airport will present a series of art walls initially designed and painted by me.

I love art competitions and have had some professional achievements in it. In 2017, I was amongst 18 finalists in the US Mint & NASA Apollo 11 Coin Design National Competition. During the same year, I took the first place in the National Call for Design of the CAN’d Aid Foundation’s CANvas CANpaign. My winning artwork is on the label of one Million cans of drinking water.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
After many years of painting, I have developed my artistic style and voice. I enjoy creating intricate fine art, digital design, and large-scale murals. I am also a scientist. I do much historical and cultural research before beginning a new artwork. I feel like a detective that deductively traces a broad picture through a myriad of most exquisite details. The modern metropolitan city fascinates me. I love to paint complicated high tech and futuristic urban infrastructure and industry. I am a passionate Nature lover. In many of my paintings, there is ongoing dialogue to the audience about the priority of keeping our ecosystem clean and alive.  Many artworks are picturing the City, Nature, and its correlation.

I paint every day. I am continually developing several art ideas on a regular basis. I like to switch up art mediums often to elevate my artistic skills. I challenge myself daily. Painting to me is an expression of my heart, and soul, in search of new virtual reality. My inner vision transmits cultural messages and the mysteries of the universe. In my art, I describe a union wherein one cyberspace, the highest cosmic technology, and nature can co-exist together. I am speaking with the audience about the unlimited possibilities around us. There are many layers to the surface we see at the first site. One could choose to reach for any of them. In my artworks, the idea of discovering the world around from within is clear and visible to people of any age, culture, and belief. My paintings express a positive message of self-acceptance, courage, and worthiness.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Artists today are exposed to really unique conditions. We are living in times when the visual art is everywhere. Artists are involved in scientific, construction, fashion and even nanotechnological projects. More and more artists are working in educational, advertising, networking and fundraising fields. The food & beverage, hospitality industries, are inviting artists to partner up. Small and large businesses are turning to artists for fun and creative ideas. I think that life became easier for artists in recent years. There is an abundance of artistic tools, mediums, educational programs readily available for artists in Austin. We have digital drawing tablets, computer programs, high-quality paints, brushes, canvases, etc. The massive popularity of social media allowed artists to have extensive exposure to the world.

The city of Austin has an impressive art community. Some of the essential actions city can take to support artists are to continue to fund public art projects with an emphasis on local artists participation, develop an affordable artistic studio program, public art awards, workshops, and art seminars.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Original Fine Art:

Peoples Gallery at the City Hall Austin, TX; Artworks: “City Heart” #65 “Territory Battle” #83
Art for the People Gallery Austin, TX; Artwork: “Texas Map”
Bastrop Convention Center Bastrop, TX; Artwork: “Leviathan”
Protégé New American Restaurant VIP Room Palo Alto, CA; Artwork: “Pride of Bordeaux”
Upbring Foster and Adoption Children Center, Austin TX; Artwork: “New Life”
SpraTX Austin, TX Artwork: “Auryn”
Pall Mall Gallery London UK; Various Artworks

Public Exterior Murals:
“Howdy Austin” E 6th St/Nueces St Austin, TX
‘Austin Beat” 809 E 6th St, Austin, TX
“Texas Map” Domaine Austin, TX
“Honoring the past and innovating the future” 402 W 8th Georgetown, TX

Public Interior Murals:
“Hand Shadow”; “ATX Wings’ Austin Bergstrom International Airport New Terminal
“MedCat” MedEd 11500 Metric Blvd Ste 330, Austin, TX
“Robotic City” MaidBot 4120 Freidrich Ln Suite 200A, Austin, TX
“People+Parks” Austin Parks Foundation 1023 Springdale Rd b4, Austin, TX
“Boler 9” Boiler Nine Restaurant 800 W Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX
“Godzilla in the Ramen City” Ramen Tatsu-Ya 1600 East 6th Street, Austin, TX
“Tesla” Idea Rundberg Public School 1901 E WELLS BRANCH PKWY
Pflugerville, Texas
“Urban Nature” Idea Rundberg Public School 1901 E WELLS BRANCH PKWY
Pflugerville, Texas
“Your Way to the Stars” Idea Rundberg Public School 1901 E WELLS BRANCH PKWY
Pflugerville, Texas

Contact Info:

• Address: Austin, TX
• Website: www.milasketch.com
• Phone: (512) 645-7221
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mila_sketch
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/milasketch
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/milasketch
• Other: www.linkedin.com/in/milasketch

Image Credit:
Chris Drazah – (the very firsts photo of me painting).

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