Delaware illustration's career celebrated at Newark Arts Alliance

Delaware has an abundance of artists, some are painting in their studios while others are taking over the kitchen table.

Those few who earn their living as professional artists have excelled in a particular genre or medium, become known for it, develop a following and sell original art. This is relatively rare and probably accounts for a small percentage of artists working today.

The rest of us who call ourselves artists, cobble together a living through a combination of teaching, making art to sell and doing commissions, while constantly adapting to what the local market will support.

The artist being highlighted today is Alexi Natchev, who stands on a legacy of children’s book illustration spanning 45 years.

Alexi resides in Newark, Delaware, but was born in Bulgaria. After studying art in college, he embarked on a full-time career as a freelance book illustrator working with watercolor, pen and ink, collage, woodcuts and every style of painting and printmaking possible. He found quick success illustrating children’s picture books, helping to interpret authors' stories with his own imagery to bring the story to life.

Alexi soon realized that many children’s first experiences with art are through picture books.

The images he creates set the mood, comparable to music written to go with lyrics. If you’ve ever read to a child, you likely enjoyed the art that unfolded before you. I think many parents find their own pleasure from seeing a book by Maurice Sendak, Eric Carle, Quintin Blake or Dr. Suess.

Alexi can join the ranks of these legendary illustrators through the over 25 books he has illustrated in his lifetime. His most acclaimed and best-selling books have been “The Elijah Door: A Passover Tale,” made of hand-colored prints made from woodcarving and “Nathanial Willy, Scared Silly,” published in 1999, which was featured on PBS.

His early projects in Bulgaria, were subsidized by the state, which prioritized preserving their culture through published works. This allowed a much greater scope of expression with more risk taking for artists which always leads to the most exciting art.

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Alexi worked with many publishers over the years, always choosing the best medium to convey the story.

His classical training in the arts prepared him to work in a variety of style,s adapting to different time periods from old folktales to more modern spins on newer stories.

He has exhibited his illustrations widely including at the Delaware Art Museum and the Rehoboth Art League.

In addition to being a practicing artist, Alexi Natchev is an art educator. While working on books, which could take months, he taught at area art schools such as Savannah College of Art and Design, Maryland Institute College of Art, and University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He is a professor emeritus from Delaware College of Art and Design, where he led the Illustration Program from 2007-2018.

Now that he has retired from full-time teaching, he is exploring more personal art for his own pleasure and is using his vast technical skills to create thematic, semi-abstract work.

He believes there are no mistakes in art, as a misstep may bring an unusual effect.

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Alexi sees himself going back to printmaking, his earliest love, which gives a lot of opportunity for experimentation. He likes the steps taken to get to the final print and the element of surprise along the way.

His most recent project has been to create and illustrate his own children’s book called “A Day at the Beach.''

This book was created using a light and loose style of watercolor painting with collage overlays featuring seascapes. Inspired by his own love of the sea and sailing, he explores a child’s day at the beach where the elements of sun and wind vary through the day helping the child understand what they are experiencing.

Created without text, it’s a picture book that invites conversation between the reader and the child to tell the story in their own words.

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Currently on display at the Newark Arts Alliance is “Storytelling with Paint and Ink, Alexi Natchev, Book Illustration'' through Aug. 25.

The artist has a display of over 44 original illustrations and 20 prints from his books, which are offered for sale ranging from $60 to $1,000.

An artist reception and book signing are on Friday, Aug. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m., which is free and open to all. Learn more about this event at: newarkartsalliance.org

Terry Foreman is the former executive director of Newark Arts Alliance.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Vision of Delaware storybook artist Alexi Natchev celebrated in Newark