Russian artist's exhibition at Nenagh Library

Tamara Blaja, originally from Moscow but now living in Nenagh, has an art exhibition at the local library.

Also known as Assoll, this is her first exhibition, a collection of paintings in both watercolour and acrylics. The subject matter varies from still lifes to pastoral scenes, taken both from Russia and Nenagh, and often showing the similarities in rural life in both countries.

In this collection, a triptych of paintings is particularly close to Assoll’s heart. Featuring a young woman, Assoll, staring out at the water, it is inspired by a past memory and a lifelong wish to visit Ireland. In her second painting, she sets sail with her red sails, heading towards a distant lighthouse until, in her final painting, we see her as an older woman, still looking out to sea, this time in Ireland.

Tamara is now 70 and only started painting at 66; this was her dream, her “red sail”. A religious woman with a deep love of nature, she credits God with her talent and derives much happiness from creating her pictures.

“When I paint, I am living inside my pictures,” she said. While this is her first exhibition, she hopes it won’t be her last and plans on continuing a natural theme.
“I like to paint more sun in my pictures,” she said, “but in Ireland – not so much sun.” Quite!