Tiraspol, November 5. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The resident of Tiraspol Alexander Glushchenko is a talented sculptor, who for 22 years has been creating unique works of wood, stone and amber. Many of them are dedicated to Celtic-Scythian legends, the Scandinavian epic, as well as Slavic mythology. Among them are sculptures of various shapes and sizes, as well as masks, vases, sculptures. There are also jewelries: bracelets, earrings, pendants, hair picks. All of them are popular all over the world.
Origins
Alexander Glushchenko was born in the art family. His father is the honored PMR Man of Arts, artist Leonty Glushchenko. He is known for his sculptures of wood and stone, water-colored paintings. Alexander’s mother painted in oils.
In the photo: Honored Art Worker of the PMR – Pridnestrovian artist Leonty Glushchenko
From early childhood, Alexander spent a lot of time in his father’s workshop, where he studied the basics of carving. Together they wandered along the banks of the Dniester in search of wood for sculptures.
Alexander Glushchenko carved his first sculpture at the age of 12. It was a stone elephant made of soft selenite. The second one was the frog. Thus, he expressed his reverential attitude towards wildlife.
Since then, the young master has begun to actively express himself in art.
The first success
Alexander still didn’t intend to link his professional life with art. He wanted to study plants, mushrooms and the underwater world, for which he had received a higher education at the natural-geographical faculty of Pridnestrovian State University.
After a while, the creativity still gained on the upper hand. He was predicated only on the lessons learned in childhood, he began to actively approve himself in various areas of decorative-applied arts, especially in wood carving and glass painting.
In 1997 his first exhibition was opened in Tiraspol. Then Alexander Glushchenko presented wooden masks, birch bark works, water-colored paintings.
About 10 of his personal exhibitions were organized in Pridnestrovie from 1997 to 2010. The master’s creations could be seen in the Memorial House-Museum of Academician Nikolay Zelinsky, the Pridnestrovian State Museum of Art (in Bendery) and the Tiraspol United Museum.
Thus the childhood hobby grew to the deal of a lifetime.
Wooden sculptures and jewelry made of stone and amber
At the moment, Alexander creates unique sculptures of wood, including statues, masks, vases, as well as various decorations. The master is studying the traditions and rites of Celtic-Scythian legends, Scandinavian epics, as well as Slavic mythology, which have been reflected in his works.
Most of the jewelry is made of bog-wood, which the sculptor specially orders from the Commonwealth of Independent States countries. The tree is called bogged because of its age features. After spending at least 300 years under water, bog oak assumes silvery and straw shades. And after 1,000 years, the wood becomes almost black.
Each of the sculptor’s works is decorated with different stones. In some there is amber, in others pearls, coral, seashells or a moonstone. Also the sculptor uses onyx, agate, jasper, obsidian, malachite, haliotis (iridescent or iris mother-of-pearl), labradorite and many others.
There is jewelry made directly of wood or amber. For example, pendants.
First an idea is born
Alexander admitted, that before starting to process the material, he should imagine what he wants to see as a result. An idea or the whole image should appear.
“Nature and people, images from dreams inspire me to create new works. When I see something unusual or attractive, I try to transfer it to the tree. I make my edits to what I saw, after which a unique sculpture is obtained,” the master says.
For example, the sculptor was inspired to create earrings called Meteors by the very atmospheric phenomenon. The shape of the jewelry resembles a meteor, which has small craters.
The earrings are made of bog oak, that’s why they have their own unique shade. It took 3-4 days to make.
Hairpins are especially popular.
In the spring of 2020, due to the quarantine associated with the coronavirus pandemic, Alexander Glushchenko decided to increase the thematic boundaries of his works. I stopped my choice on wood spirit: creatures from fairy tales and legends, that protect nature and live surreptitiously next to people.
The master admitted, that he has liked working with wood, feeling its energy and strength.
For 22 years of creative experience, his most miniature work was a female image 0,8 inches high, the most voluminous was a park sculpture, reaching 9 meters.
Sculptures and other works of Alexander Glushchenko are popular all over the world. They are found in Japan, Colombia, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Great Britain, Mexico, Malaysia, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and other countries.
Plans for the near future
Speaking about woodwork, Alexander Glushchenko noted, that he has wanted to continue the series of bog oak jewelry by adding rings to them.
“I don’t exclude, that they will contain metal. As for the design, I definitely want to make a ring with a bat, feathers and, maybe, something related to mushrooms and plant forms. And then we’ll see, the main thing is to start,” the master shares his plans for the future.
Also Alexander Glushchenko dreams of his own exhibition of stained-glass paintings. He already has certain ideas and work pieces.
“The stained-glass windows will depict flowers and various design solutions, that will find resonance in a modern interior. It seems to me, that it will be interesting to the audience. I want my works to bring enjoyment and practical benefit,” Alexander Glushchenko admits.
The sculptor intends to turn his idea into reality within two years.
The text had been prepared by Svetlana Gulinskaya
