Yuri Sleptsov, a Siberian artist based in Yakutsk, Russia

Hereby I present Yuri Sleptsov‘s art works. His drawings are done on a plastic board with the use of a scalpel. Such a technique is called scratchboard or scraperboard (grattazh, in Russian). Learn more about it on Wiki.

Yuri prefers to use the plastic, as it provides the sharp contrast between white lines and the black inked background. This technique is used very rarely. The drawing might be created in the course of several weeks, months or even year. A hard work. One little mistake might spoil the whole art piece.

Yuri Sleptsov started drawing in the scraperboard style in 1991. Since that, he participated in many various exhibits and was awarded for originality and fine technique.

He didn’t graduate any arts schools. Yuri used to be an economist, retailor, auditor. Currently, he is devoted to ethnographic researches. Does a lot to keep Eveni children’s summer nomad camp in Momsky region, North-East Yakutia.

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Shaman image. 1992-1993. Oil painting. 118 x 93.

Alexander Khodulov was a Yakutian artist, who lived from 1962 till 2003. His preferred genres were portrait, landscape scenery, still life, etc.

He was born in Yakutsk. In the family of the outstanding USSR national artist Dmitry F. Khodulov. Graduated Children Art School, Yakutsk Art College (1981), the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow (1987). A member of the Sakha Republic Artist Union since 1993.

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In February, as you might already know, I experienced just a magic reindeer sledding expedition across valleys and rivers of Oymyakon, East Yakutia, Russia’s Siberia. With the Even nomad family of the Cherkashins. Well, it was a sort of expedition to me, but not to reindeer herders. They considered two-day travel as a regular neighbourhood visit.

No more words from me. Enjoy 70+ photographs.

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That’s what we are going to have in a month! Thanks to the Yakutsk-based talented cameraman Arian Ivanov, we can see how ice was floating on the Lena River on May 18-19, 2011.

A pretty amazing nature event! We enjoy it every spring from high banks of the Lena River in my area called the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Russia’s North-East Siberia & Far East.

The video was done on Tabaga Cape, a few km south off Yakutsk, Russia.

Hooray! Summer is at hand. Meanwhile, we’ve got awesome spring. See more post related to Spring in Yakutia and the Lena River.

Russian architect Pavel Sipin’s project “Tundra City” (a futuristic city located in the abandoned Udachny diamond pit in West Yakutia’s Mirninsky region) deserved Honorable Mention at eVolo’s 2012 Skyscraper Competition.

See images above. Click to enlarge them.

The city of Udachny is used for the futuristic city architectural project not for the first time. Its name means “lucky” in the Russian language, but its fate doensn’t look as such.

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Hereby, I am publishing Yegor Makarov’s photographs of Yakutian horse riders from different horse trekking expeditions across the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Russia’s Siberia.

Yegor Makarov is a successful businessman, who lives and runs the Muus Khaya entertaining complex in Yakutsk, Russia. His big addiction is to travel across his vast homeland, and he is a big fan of the Yakutian horse, Yakutia-orginated horse breed.

Currently, he is making a documentary and a book about the Yakutian horse. Meanwhile, he shares his passion with you.

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Yesterday I took photographs of how truck drivers – Michael Zakharov and his four sons – were preparing for this year’s last long run on the winter road from Yakutsk to Srednekolymsk, Kolyma area of North-East Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

A long ride, indeed, and very risky. Around 2500 km on one way through the Kolyma federal road (settlements of Khandyga and Ust Nera) and the Arctic winter road (Ust Nera – Sasyr – Zyryanka – Srednekolymsk).

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So awesome! I’ve heard about this animated cartoon a long time ago and today I was lucky to get the video from Yakutia Music & Folklore Museum (Yakutsk, Russia).

Olonkho is the Sakha (Yakut) heroic epos. In 2005, it was declared by UNESCO International Competition Jury as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of the humanity.

What is it about? Watch the animated cartoon and get an idea. The story is based on the “Nyurgun Bootur the Swift” olonkho story. Though it is in Japanese, but images says more than thousands of words.

All about Olonkho on my other site.

Created by Alexei & Afanassiy Ushnitskies’s studio “Sulus Games” (www.sulusgames.ru).

In the late March, I had a chance to watch fishing on the Yana River near Batagai settlement in the Verkhoyansky area of North Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

In the above photo you can see the Yana River. Pretty complicated flow. This way all tundra rivers look. Yana is not exception.

Further, find 12 photos of how ice fishing is done and what type of fishes are caught over there. Read the rest of this entry…

To visit Kihilyakh, sacred stones in Verkhoyansk district in North-East Yakutia, was my long dream. I’ve never been to that area. And, finally, I made it.

Two weeks ago, I received a call. There was Yakutia’s Vice President Dmintry Glushko on the phone. Amazing. He asked, whether I wanted to go to Kihilyakh. “My god! Definitely,” I said. He continued, “There will be the ceremony of lighting of the Fire of the 5th Children of Asia International Sports Games.”

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