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THE PICTURESQUE WHIRLWINDS OF AN ARTIST
Translated from Art magazine “Culture” – Interview with the artist Ekaterina Eneva
Еkaterina Еneva's exhibition at the Union of Bulgarian Artists lasts until January 26. 
The shortest and clearest presentation of Ekaterina Eneva is:
She is the artist of one of the legendary productions of the Youth theater - the musical "Oliver" from 1987 and again in 2007. This play has won all possible Bulgarian theater awards. It has been played for several seasons in front of a crowded hall, the critics have flooded it with superlatives. Remarkable actors have made star appearances under the direction of Andrey Avramov. What the stage looked like and how beautiful and appropriate the costumes were is reminded by the representative exhibition of the artist Ekaterina Eneva on “Shipka” 6.
It is representative because on the 4th floor of UBA – Union of Bulgarian Artists where Ekaterina Eneva has arranged her newest and “brightest” (as defined by the critics) paintings, and one part of the hall has set aside for the scenography and costumes of some of the best productions in which she has participated during her remarkable theatrical career: "The love of the three oranges", "January", "The three musketeers". “Oliver”. In total there are more than 200, she is currently working on "Cinderella" of the ballet "Arabesque" at the Musical theater. The other part of the hall was set with her latest canvases. “A magnificent master and fascinating painting - seemingly abstract painting that greatly excites,” as says the director of UBA the painter – Luben Genov
Scenographer or artist ahead?
“Maybe, if I dig through my folders, I will find better solutions than other performances, but I wanted to show only a few, but the most successful ones and thus express my respect for the theater and great directors, with which I have worked with and to remind of the great theatrical events. "
“At the time, there was not even a formal dividing line. The discipline itself at the Academy of Arts was called "theatrical painting". I always wanted to be an artist. When I finished painting at the High School of Art, I found it remarkably interesting to become a theater artist, that is what I applied for. Do you know that Ivan Milev – one of the most famous Bulgarian painter was an artist at the National Theater? This discipline is remarkable, "The most read", says Ekaterina Eneva with a smile.
“It requires great knowledge of eras and authors, the history of architecture and costumes, even fabrics, a sense of drama and movement in space, and when you participate in musical and ballet productions - and music. Music has a soul, and it is very important that the layout of the space in which it is performed does not contradict it. You must also have a purely technical knowledge of the executive work in the carpentry and ironworks, the patterns, and materials. If one makes the sets and another one - the costumes, they must match the interpretation of the style of the era, otherwise there would be a rift.”
Theater is a collective art in which everyone, as in a family, has to be in harmony for things to go well," says Eneva. Leading, of course, is the director's idea, but even he "does not play the first violin" in the theater, surprisingly she added. "The production must be subordinated to the actor who will present the idea. Because the show suggests an idea, it has a purpose - whether the audience will leave the hall filled with joy, anger, protest or driven to deep thought.”
How you express your works? 
“When an artist really wants to express himself, when he carries various thoughts and ideas in himself, then it is best to grab the brush and stand in front of the canvas. I have colleagues who reach for painting, others for graphics, others make ceramics," says the artist.
Her current exhibition is a really bright painting. Strong colors and amazing movement. The bold traces of the brush are directed upwards, downwards, swirl in a circle, chase in dizziness or turn in a green summer walk. Is the sky cracking for insight or is the ocean water seen from the bottom?
"One spot can lead the artist," says Eneva. Then it captivates you, a new thought arises from it, then another, and a third, and you go down after them and here is a little more, and more, and more, and finally the picture is ready, painted a little unconscious, when suddenly - as writers say - the senses open for a moment, for a second only in insight.
Are your paintings cosmic in a certain way?
“Whether it is cosmic I have not thought, we all are part of the cosmos. This is the connection with the world around us - and, if you will, with the universe. A window opens to Gauguin's question: "Where do we come from, who are we and where are we going?"
“I think that when one asks these questions, even unconsciously, it is much better, instead of delving into the bad and ugly around us, which, in general, is our direct reality. Because according to the law of attraction, if we want to see only the ugly, it will multiply. And when we look for the brighter and the better, maybe others will want to see it. The world is energy and art radiates energy. And I really want it to set people up positively. Of course, when I say that we need to see the beauty around us, I do not forget how ugly it is, how scary it is, how difficult it is for many people who do not even have anything to eat. But this does not mean that we must forget that there is good, and we are also spiritual beings.” - Ekaterina Eneva concludes her story.
Autor of the article: Tania Karanova©