The Gallery of the State Academy of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan opened an exhibition of the best plein air works of the students who took part in the American-Turkmen Fine Arts Exchange Program.

As part of the cultural project, novice painters of our country had the opportunity to get acquainted with a foreign school of fine arts, represented by the famous American artist Aimee Erickson.

For several days, the Turkmen students attended lectures, master classes and plein airs. The creative classes facilitated learning new professional skills and practicing the techniques of painting in nature. The students, who attended the intensive oil painting course, noted that the advice of their mentor would be very helpful to them in the future.

At master classes, young artists studied the laws of painting, application of reflexes, reflecting light and shadow on canvases. Due to numerous plein air sessions held in picturesque corners of Ashgabat, the students created a number of interesting paintings and landscapes, conveying the magnificent appearance of the white-marble capital of Turkmenistan.

There were portraits too. Inspired by the acquaintance with the new master, the talented painters decided to capture the artist's image on their works.

Aimee Erickson was pleasantly surprised by all the creative surprises. The foreign guest also noted the excellent skills of future specialists. According to her, from the first days of her stay in Ashgabat, she noticed with what zeal young people strive to acquire new knowledge, while already having a fairly high level of professionalism.

Vaida Vidugiris, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission to Turkmenistan, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition of student artwork. In her welcoming speech, she said:

– The power of cooperation and the exchange of experience in art plays an important role in cultural interaction, respect and understanding between peoples. Today, I admire the works of talented Turkmen students. I hope that this exhibition will inspire us for future cooperation and encourage artists from all corners of the globe to come together, share their experiences, and create new works of art.

In the coming days, everyone is welcome to view the exhibition. Admission to the gallery is free.