Middleburgers pen fox-filled folios, Gorby’s cousin shows primary colors.
By Vicky Moon
Charley Matheson’s new book is called Hunting Sketches on the Run.
ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS
Artist Yuri Gorbachev was in Middleburg for a showing of his paintings at The Byrne Gallery. His lively, primitive work incorporates strong Russian motifs, bright primary colors and robust red accents. Animals (of course) are a popular subject: “Blue Cat on a Red Table,” “Sill Life with Parrot and Flower” and even “Jester on Horse.”
“His technique is evocative of Russian enamels – he uses at least a dozen layers of finishing glaze, which gives it a luster,” says gallery owner Susan Byrne.
Yuri began his artistic career in ceramics.
In the early 1990s, upon immigrating to the United States, he switched to oil on canvas. A cousin of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Yuri now lives and works in New York. His work can be seen at the Louvre, the China Club in Hong Kong, the Hyatt Regency in Perth, Australia, the collections of Brooke Shields, Mick Jagger, Senator Edward Kennedy and now … in several Middleburg residences.
