Nataliya Scheib ​

LAKE BALEA, CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS, ROMANIA

Nataliya Scheib

"Lake Balea, Carpathian Mountains, Romania", 2014

Collage from magazine images

Paper images from magazines on wood

24" x 30"

Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Lummis, Houston TX

​COLLAGE > Landscape Scenes >Lake Balea, Carpathian Mountains, Romania

I have traveled to Romania for an Art Residency in July 2014 in Sibiu, Transylvania area.  During the period of a month, we visited many historical sites, time-honored castles, including a national landmark - Bran Castle of Vlad the Impaler’s in Transylvania in the hill of the mountain in the Carpathians.

I took a photograph of Lake Balea, which is, peculiarly, located in the tops of the Carpathian Mountains.  The ride in the lifting cars took about 15 minutes, during which we observed the beauty of nature, the winding waterfall running down the mountain’s valley and the sheep scattered along the sides of the foothills.

On the top of the mountains, we immediately noticed the snow patches near our feet and increasing amounts of it further into the mountain range. The air was cold and crisp on top of the mountains, and we could see the vapor from our breath, even though the sun was shining and it was very warm July’s temperatures down the mountains. 

I found it fascinating and unusual that you can see and feel a fusion of summer and winter at the same time. I took lots of photographs for as long as I could be in the icy weather before going to the restaurant (at the side of the lake) to get a cup of hot tea while viewing the lake surrounded by the snowy mountain range from inside the heated area.

After returning to my studio, I looked through my photographs with an idea to reflect these atmospheric effects though my collage, which is much more challenging than simply to mix the needed paint colors.  As I do not use any paint in my landscape collages, it took a while of trial and error to find the right combination of cool and warm colors in the magazines to reflect these bipolar atmospheric conditions.

In the end, I am happy with the results of my efforts, and this beautiful, charming collage of Lake Balea reminds me of my fine memories at the art residency in Transylvania area, Carpathian Mountains, Romania.

EXHIBITIONS:

2016              “Putting it All Together,” Blue Door Gallery, Yonkers, NY (June 18 – August 27)
2015              “Daring to Defy the Medium? What is Collage?” National Association of Women Artists, NY, NY (March 20 - June 20)