Today we are having Tatiana and Alexander, an absolutely amazing family of artists. They live far from the bustle of the city, the walls of a magical house have an imitation of rock art, and tea is served with dandelion honey. Why are they never bored, is it possible not to stop enjoying life and how to put love in work — read about everything in our interview. And, of course, the recipe of dandelion honey will also be there :)

— All your works are connected with natural motives, and the feeling of nature is transmitted sensitively. It seems that your whole life is intertwined with nature. Maybe you live in the country, like to go hiking or grow flowers. Is that so?
— Yes, it is true, we are urban residents who deliberately left city bustle and moved to a wonderful place near a natural area. During the break we go for a walk with dogs and a thermos of tea to a village (called Kamennaya Balka) — a place of our inspiration, which is perfect at any time of the year. The house and workshop are surrounded by steppes and fields, a river, stunning views of the sunset and a stable with horses.
Also, we are closely connected with nature because we like to eat what we have grown ourselves in a greenhouse and garden, we maintain a small farm and a small bee farm.
We also love hiking, it is necessary to let a fresh stream of inspiration in. Travelling stops routine, mobilize and refreshes.

— You have absolutely wonderful photos in your profile! It seems that your couple and creative family are a unity of opposites. Please tell us how you met and family art.
— We met at a craft fair. We had completely different projects, but as it turned out, we had common plans and dreams, and our ideas complemented each other. In the end, I realized that it was destiny! :)
We are really different, but we are never bored, and yet — it is always useful to look at things ar a different angle and with a fresh look.

— Many of your works are devoted to whales and mountains. What are other things that inspire you?

— Most often we are inspired by material itself, how it is modified in the process.
Of course, the main source of inspiration is nature, but it is such an extensive word, it is difficult to point out something specific. Nature is not only about fields, seas, forests, trees and animals. It's also about our complex brain, about the Northern lights, about the stars and planets, about whales, elephants and hummingbirds...Inspiration and beauty live around us, the main thing is to see! A person who knows how to admire, never stops enjoying life. His/her inspiration is endless!

— Admiring your work, you can not help but wonder your house looks. Tell us what style of interior you follow. Do you create decorations for your home yourself, looking for something special?
— To determine the style of our house, the word "rustic" is perfect, it is logical for a rural, but modern home. Almost everything in it is wooden, including the walls, on which we made drawings in the style of rock art with a scorcher. We believe that there is nothing warmer and cozier than natural textures and natural calm shades. Our house has non-standard sizes and form, therefore all furniture is made by us. As a decoration, we use garlands of warm yellow color, bouquets of dried flowers, collected in the summer, a variety of instruments of wind music and a lot of little things that are clear only to us.

— Do you draw accurate models of works before you start making them, or are they more often born in the creative process?
— The creative process takes place in completely different ways: Alexandr, turned on the heat by the idea, will not stop at anything. He can do something, twist it in his hands, remake it, then remake it again — and so on until he is satisfied with the result. My project begins with a sketch, or even several. As an Illustrator, I am fascinated by the process of sketching to imitation glaze with markers. Then the task is to find the right mood music, brew a thermos of delicious tea, cuddle dogs, and only then you can get to work :)

— In the reviews we read about the bright experience of cooperation between the customer and the artists. Do you do any works now? What orders are the most interesting for you?
— We are always happy to fulfill orders. It is especially interesting when a customer asks to add to the work some element of a personal nature. Then each work gets a piece of not only our soul, but also gets filled with a special meaning for the owner.

— Please tell us about the idea of creating a story teapot "Forest Trails", which became an item of the day?
— We were very lucky with a customer who gave us a full will to create a teapot. The main condition was a bear on it, as on one of other works. Bears have long been my calling card and totem animal. My husband once joked that if a bear eats me in the forest, I will die happy :) but seriously, in this product I really wanted to combine the two closest materials to me: wood and clay, and everything else was formed by itself in the flow of inspiration.

— It is always very interesting to learn about the mode of work of creative people. How is your working day, week built? Is there a specific schedule?
— We have unanimously erased the boundaries between life and work. Perhaps the birth of ideas is the background of our whole life. We are constantly discussing some ideas and projects, even at night, and only waking up, go to the studio and begin to implement them. In general, our "work" schedule looks like 24/7 :)

— In your cozy cups it is very easy to imagine some magical homemade drinks. Could you share secret family recipes for cold evenings?
— Our most favorite drink for cold evenings is tea with spices. The recipe is very simple: black tea, fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise and nutmeg. All ingredients are added to taste.
This tea is good with dandelion honey — little sun, a reminder that summer and heat are very close.
Recipe:
- dandelion flowers — 200 flowers;
- water 0,5 l;
- sugar 600 g;
- 1/2 lemon.

1. Separate the petals of a dandelion from the pedicels.
2. Without washing, pour water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add lemon (with or without skin). You can only use juice. Cook for about 20 minutes.
4. Cool. Strain the infusion through several layers of cheesecloth.
5. Add sugar to the infusion, bring to a boil. Usually until a drop of jam begins to hold its shape, it takes about 35 minutes.

— Continuing the theme of family recipes, who in your family cooks more often? Do creative people follow split responsibilities?
— In our family, everything is done together, the one who wants to cook more, or the one who came up with a new dish. We have no division of duties in the classical sense. Everyone does what they like and what they can do. Mutual assistance and help are main things.

— Could you share your life and creative plans for the beginning of the year? What goals have you set in your work, where, perhaps, you have planned to go?

— This year we want more joint projects, a combination of different materials. There are plans to learn a few more crafts and, of course, to travel more. The next trip is scheduled in a week, we go to a snow-covered Yamal, touch the noses of reindeer and ski in the woods. We also began to master video shooting and editing, in order to try to convey the atmosphere of our everyday life and share experience.

— Your works are associated with quiet fairy tales. Could you name three of your favorite books? Is it something quite the opposite?
— We could choose only 3 books. First of all, fairy tales and myths of different peoples. This is the language in which our ancestors speak to us, it is a kind of codes that convey the carriers of a certain culture. Moreover, magical worlds of Tolkien and the fantastic universe of the Strugatsky brothers.

— What would you advise those who want to be professionally engaged in handmade and be in demand? What qualities should a person possess, what should be developed?

— Handmade is a way to tell your stories to the world. We must have the courage to do work not according to famous paths, but as your heart tells you. It is important to do not just something beautiful, but necessary and useful. To develop patience, a sense of responsibility, to do work efficiently and with great love. We believe that positive energy can be transmitted, and things created with love for work, is really special.