I have a confession to make: I don't have a lot of favorite artists.

My criterion for favorite artists is this: if I can read their books, view their paintings, or watch their movies numerous times without getting bored by the repetition and always finding new facets to enjoy, then they're in the club. They might not be the big names you'd expect, but there's something about them that clicks with me; I just have a feeling that they simply belong to the same Karass as I do.

My roster of beloved artists remains modest; over the years, the list has diminished from hundreds to just a few. These select few share notable characteristics: a formidable educational background that allows them to build on what came before, an attitude to life that's a mix of being serious when it counts but not taking themselves too seriously the rest of the time—a blend of Decalogical ethics, irony, humor, and alienated engagement, as encapsulated in the enigmatic words of Heine: 'I cannot understand where Irony ends and Heaven begins'.

When it comes to belles-lettres, the current list of favorites contains just two pieces of literature: Pelevin's 'Chapayev and Pustota' and Brecht's 'Refugee Conversations'.

Only one animation makes the list - the animated series 'Masyanya' by Oleg Kuvaev.

In the realm of visual arts, one figure that stands out to me is the painter Ilya Zomb. He began his artistic career in our shared hometown, Odessa, before emigrating and settling in the US. As the beloved son of Odessa, Michael Zvaneckiy once said, 'There is something in this nervous soil that gives birth to musicians, chess players, artists, singers... who shine so brightly on both sides of secondary education!' And if I may add, 'on both sides of the Atlantic as well.' The emigration proved beneficial for Ilya; one can observe a shift in his paintings' palette from the gloomy, muddy colors of his pieces created in the USSR to the bright, vibrant colors of those made in the US. In my humble opinion, he reached the peak of his form and settled on his style around 2007, where he remains today.

Ilya has been on my radar for about a decade now. I can't recall exactly how I discovered his work online, but once I did, I was hooked. I added the link to my top favorites and scoured the internet for any of his work I could find

And then not too long ago, I found out that he hosted an Open Doors tour at his studio in Riker Hill Art Park, NJ. So, I made my way over there, and it was awesome. The studio was located in a quiet, cozy location, and the atmosphere at the event was very friendly and informal. I spent a good chunk of time talking about our lives and his art in the company of the artist, his lovely wife, and their cute dog.

Here are some photos from when I was there.

Art studio