Illustrations for the book “Animals in the City”

“This picture of rats… I don’t want to draw it. But it still needs to be done, since we are talking about the wildlife of Moscow. I’ve read a lot about them, watched a few movies, and seen how smart they are… I’m looking at it now, and I’ve got an interesting idea. I love this scene… They will get out from under the car, jump out of the tank, and behind them is the urban landscape, Moscow at night. You know… It became interesting to me. I began to fall in love with urban scenes. I’ve been painting the forest all the time, and now I walk here with a notebook, making urban sketches. I began to look at the city more closely, and it became a pleasure for me. Make these little pictures. Play out plots. Without drawing specific buildings or specific cars. It doesn’t matter, it’s just become a habitat for animals…”