MARINA DOMNIKOVA, ONE OF THE
BEST ZHOSTOVO MASTER ARTISTS
MEMBER OF THE UNION OF RUSSIAN PAINTERS
MERITED (HONORED) ARTIST OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Marina Domnikova was born in 1959 in the city of Moscow. In 1976-1979, she studied in the Fedoskino
School of Lacquer Miniature, which graduated from with Honors in 1979, majoring
in Zhostovo Art.
Marina Domnikova
is proud and very happy to say that Mr. Pavel Ivanovich Plakhov had been her
teacher. Mr. Plakhov is one of the very significant Zhostovo Painters that
has trained skilled young craftsmen and contributed to their emergence as
original masters. He was one of the oldest and last gurus of Zhostovo art.
He taught her the "traditional" strict Zhostovo art. There is traditional
and contemporary Zhostovo style (contemporary Zhostovo is not based on the
deep knowledge of traditions. Marina
says that Plakhov's philosophy was: “99% of the work and 1 % of the talent”.
Marina thinks that an artist, who knows the traditional
Zhostovo art and follows them, is capable to develop this art on the basis
of the knowledge previously acquired. In this case the artist develops the
art of Zhostovo.
In 1979, Marina started to work in Zhostovo factory of decorative art. In 1985,
she became a member of the Union of (professional)
Painters of Russian Federation. In 2005, she got a prestigious name of Merited
Artist of Russia. She has been decorated with the Bronze and Silver
Medals by the Ministry of Culture and the Government of Russia for extraordinary
achievements in decorative painting.
During her long and successful career, she took
part in special exhibitions held annually in Russia as well as in other Republics of the former
Soviet Union. She was invited to participate in the
Decorative Symposiums and Painter’s Conferences in Moscow,
Minsk, Tallinn, Kiev and several others cities.
Marina has successfully participated
in and sold her works during festivals and exhibitions in Germany,
France, Slovakia,
Hungary, the Vatican, Italy,
and in Spain.
Her works, which she designs herself on the basis of old Zhostovo traditions
are a part of the permanent exhibitions in the Museum of Regional Studies
in the city of Mitichi, Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, Historical Museum
in Moscow, the Painter’s Museum of Yaroslavl, the Moscow Museum of Applied
and Decorative Arts . Marina Domnikova and her works
are mentioned in several books, such as: The best works of Popular Art of
Russia, Masterpieces of Russian Folk Art (Zhostovo), Zhostovo Painted Trays,
etc.
Her philosophy: to permanently develop
and improve her knowledge and mastery, to conserve the traditions of Zhostovo
and to look for new opportunities for self expression 
and new ways of reflecting Zhostovo style.
Marina also strives for converting
a Zhostovo tray from home décor item into the piece of art.
She taught classes in
Children's art school in Zhostovo, as well as master classes in Italy,
Vatican, Austria,
France and Spain. Her goal in teaching: teaching the principle,
that is to say from known to unknown through learning.
