Nikita Budkov

This latest artwork marks my return to the mythological and folktale aspects of my artistic expression—the very origins of my creativity. Inspired by the recurring theme of Circe, extensively explored by researchers, writers, and musicians, I aimed to capture her essence much like the beloved 19th-century Pre-Raphaelite artists did.

In the Odyssey, Circe's most famous appearance, she beguiled Odysseus' crew, transforming them into swines, yet later, through a complex narrative, they were restored to their human forms. Circe's enigmatic portrayal, possibly one of the earliest depictions of a sorceress, is highlighted by the magic wand in her hand. I delved into the speculated connection between Circe and the ancient vulture (or hawk) goddess in Asia Minor, symbolized by the sacrificial dagger adorned with a hawk head in my painting.

Oil on aluminum panel

16” x 12”

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Oil on linen

30" x 24"

"A young woman stands in quiet thought before a weathered stone wall adorned with a magnificent lion's head relief. Her delicate hand lightly brushes the majestic sculpture, as if seeking solace from its stoic presence. In her other hand, she holds a bundle of pussy willows, symbols of delicate beauty, blessings, Spring, and resilience. Her gaze is cast downward, reflecting the depths of her emotions. Is it lost love that weighs heavily on her heart, or is it a bittersweet memory of an enduring affection? We can only contemplate the complex tapestry of the human heart."

—Nikita Budkov

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Oil on linen canvas

40” x 30”


A portrait painting about a nostalgia for older music that many might associate with their young prime days. Here I imagined my dad longing for such days while listening to his favorite bands from 20 or more years ago on a boombox. I've known these bands all my life too, so this painting is a bit personal to me.

The view from the window shows a typical Soviet-era industrial urban scape, which could resemble the time on the turn of an age around the fall of Berlin Wall. Surrounding the figure are mose cassette tapes and some vinyl.

A smartphone in the front takes us back to our present, like a little time machine in a sense.



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Oil on linen canvas

40” x 40”

A young woman would keep coming to the Garden of Abandon, as she calls it, to indulge in day dreaming and tasting sweet fruits. The Garden supposedly has many secret meadows and many streams, but its treasures are not visible to everyone. Only individuals with love in their pure hearts and those who long for the days of yore are welcome here, and yet even they may not come back to reality, for the Garden of Abandon is a beautiful, magical place of kindness and dreams.

"I know well

What her sleep should tell to-night.

There the dreams are multitudes:

Some that will not wait for sleep,

Deep within the August woods;

Some that hum while rest may steep

Weary labour laid a-heap..."

-Dante Gabriel Rossetti

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Oil on linen canvas

36” x 24”

This is a portrait after one of my favorite short stories by H. P. Lovecraft.

The story is about a golden-haired youth who wanders through the fantasy realm of dreams, telling tales of the great city of Aira, where he was a prince. While Iranon enjoys singing and telling his tales of wonder, few people appreciate it, and yet he never grows old.

Towards the end of the story, Iranon comes across an old shepherd and asks him if he knows of Aira. The shepherd tells him that he has indeed heard of it, for in his youth there was a beggar's boy who had always talked about it. The boy, who presumed himself to be a prince, was laughed at by everyone and ran away.

With the truth revealed, that Aira was merely a figment of his imagination, Iranon loses his eternal youth. Now aged significantly, Iranon wanders into the desert to his death.


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Oil on panel
11” x 14”

”Definitely one of the most memorable experiences of doing a plein air - or at least trying to - during a freezing snowstorm in the beloved Winona, Minnesota. My model is a fearless and beautiful friend who braved the weather and posed for me for a bit more than 10 minutes. There was no reason trying to paint any longer because without any medium my oil paints were turning into charcoal and I had to scribble color on the panel. It made it utterly impossible to paint, plus the falling snow was on all things including brushes and palette. Finished the painting in my studio adding crows because I felt it was a good idea to further extend the narrative and atmosphere of a snow white cold winter day. In the faint background - a great Mississippi River and the coast of Wisconsin state.”
- Nikita Budkov

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Oil on board

12” x 12”

Alla Prima painted in a world famous Yamashiro restaurant in Hollywood, later finished in a studio. It was challenging for me to work on a portrait looking down at the model in a very close proximity, but in the end I succeeded with a composition.

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Oil on canvas panel

16” x 20”

A painting of Border Collies puppies next door. Started live on a rare minute when the dogs finally laid down after non stop running and playing.

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Oil on canvas on panel

20” x 16”

Live painting of Prince Tardon at Paddock Riding Club in Atwater Village.

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Oil on linen canvas

20” x 16”

I have painted this piece tin order to express my pain and horror in the first 3 weeks of the start of the first modern war in Europe in 21th century on February 24, 2022.

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Oil on panel

9” x 12”

Upon the sunset, a young lady visited Malibu shore wearing her new dress. She was reading Dostoevsky and, as the daylight declined, so did the fate of Raskolnikov.

But her own life was just starting and she had high hopes for the dawn - and for so many days ahead!

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Oil on panel

34” x 44.5”

The subject matter of this painting falls into the realm of cyberpunk and sci-fi culture in general, and is quite contemporary. In this piece, I collected and hid tons of Easter eggs mainly related to electronic and metal music, movies like Blade Runner, and classic anime OVAs.

I am a big fan of retrowave, darkwave, and vaporwave music, particularly bands like Perturbator, in fact I see this piece as no less than a song in a sense. Although there is a continuation of a narrative, my main idea was to show the light and color boom, and not merely what is actually happening between the characters of this painting,

This piece was done in a memory of late Rutger Hauer.

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Oil on canvas panel

20” x 15.7”

A dreamy vision of artist’s sensual love.

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A collaboration with a famous Russian Old School strongman Victor Blud as a part of my series of strongmen and heavy lifting athletes paintings.
In the background I depicted a "Combat Between Dares and Entellus" (175 AD) from Getty Villa to show a connection between generations of athleticism and aesthetics.

Oil on board

30” x 24”

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Oil on canvas panel

10” x 8”

Moments of Summer joy, playing guitar on the roof on the warm evening.

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Cats are not domesticated like dogs. They are still wild animals, freedom lovers, and as independent as they can be.

Oil on canvas

14” x 10”

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Oil on panel

40” x 30”

Description

Created during many enchanted hours of listening to atmospheric and ambient music, this work embodies my love for traditional folklore and European culture. Within the painting, a young lady awaits with blue and white field flowers while a tiny golden key hangs from her clutched hand, admission to some secret hidden passage. As she hears footsteps, she turns; her illuminated hair catches the last rays of the falling sun.

Playing with the strong directional light on her hair and figure I take great pleasure in investigating the eastern Slavic ornamentation on her traditional Russian dress. She personifies the classic female protagonist, a curious and stoic young lady, her beauty grabs the attention of every viewer instantly. The painting is laden with symbols for those with an equally inquisitive nature.

As with all of my paintings, this one is titled after a song. Origins of this title relate to an ancient Norwegian fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I surround my paintings with corporeal atmosphere, believing that their mystical mood is one of the most important components in my art, as it subconsciously evokes the viewer to live within it. 

Exhibited

California Art Club's 108th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, California, March 3 - 29, 2019

Awards

Best Artist Under 30 in the 2019 PleinAir Salon February/March competition for the painting “East of the Sun”

Art Renewal Center Staff Awards

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Oil on board

30” x 24”

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Oil on board

28”x36.5”

Following the original idea of a wounded warrior and a woman who is looking after him, I ended up with a composition of muted torment in their gestures, despite the supposedly relaxed poses at the first glance. I greyed down my palette, carved out their bodies from the dark magical background, and put the most focus on the faces, striving after the classical tradition of the old masters.  

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Oil on board

28”x52”

 Bringing together the mythological and the present, I worked with a Russian Strongman champion Alexey Serebryakov, imagining him in the unexpected environment of the Siberian landscape. The cats here represent a reoccurring character in Russian fables, Bayun the Cat, who can lull a human to sleep, so he can either rob or eat them. A representation of the good and bad in us, his voice can also cure illness, should Bayun choose to help people. The strongman is sitting on a fallen tree and staring at the cats left on a stump. The black cats could represent a spirit of this land, and the human is taking it from them.

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