Next Up: Exploring Varvara Alay’s Floral Fantasies

Flowers are the common thread for Varvara Alay’s artistic vision.

As the creator of The Flower Girls and Bird of Solis projects, the graphic designer and illustrator has built a dedicated community around her work while expanding her offerings as a 1/1 artist. Combining classical elegance with vibrant colors and fantastical floral motifs, Alay’s work is easily recognizable across all of her creative outlets and artistic pursuits.

In keeping with the curatorial theme of “Blossoming,” Alay debuted her new “A Flower Girl” piece at Now Media and Factblock’s Gateway Miami exhibition at the Faena Forum during Miami Art Week.

Every week, nft now’s Next Up unveils a new artist from our curated list of ascendant talents who have been making significant waves throughout Web3. This week, we’re excited to dive deeper into Alay’s journey into digital art.

nft now: How did you first become interested/involved in digital art?

Varvara Alay: I was born into a family of artists and began drawing from an early age. My mother taught me drawing, engraving, lithography, and even acid etching. My grandmother got me fascinated by painting and fine art. My father introduced me to the world of design and taught me to think outside the box. My wild imagination and desire to combine this arsenal of skills led me to digital illustration and collage. Later on, I also explored animation and 3D because I wanted my viewers to fully immerse themselves in my work.

How would you describe your art?

My art is my world, the world of my fantasy. I don’t make sketches, and sometimes, when I sit down to draw, I don’t know what the end result will be. I start drawing, getting to know the characters I create, talking to and making friends with them. I immerse myself in their world, their world becomes mine, and my world becomes theirs. I have been drawing for over 20 years, and my art is constantly changing. I am always looking for new techniques and changing my style. I love to experiment. My world evolves with me.

What’s your process like? And where do you usually find inspiration?

My world fascinates me, and I want to share this with my audience. My world is the personification of beauty and fantasy. A world that is in constant motion, ever-changing, and captivating with its mysterious beauty. A world in which you want to immerse yourself and start traveling, learning all the stories and secrets, recharging with energy and learning. My inspiration is my son, and to some extent, my world grows and changes with him. And perhaps this world is my son: when he was born, I began creating mainly for him, and I have not been able to stop since…

What are the biggest challenges facing rising artists in web3?

I want to quote the description of my recent drop on Rarible – “The Show Must Go On.” Throughout history, artists were deprived of royalties. NFTs finally brought hope, a promise of fair compensation for creators, and a revolution in the art world. Artists worked hard to drive adoption – bringing NFTs to digital screens, auction houses, and mainstream media – they were the original champions of Web3. Today, when royalties are once again under threat from corporate greed, artists and collectors must stand together. Stand for royalties. Stand for the art.

What advice do you have for rising artists in this space?

Web3 is a truly fascinating space, so vast and with so much potential. You need to explore it, embrace it, live, and breathe Web3. It is so much more than simply a new sales channel: it is a culture shift, the future of digital interaction and ownership. And just as Web3 never stands still, you should not be afraid to experiment. Stay true to yourself, but keep trying new things and evolving. Enjoy your journey, make friends, learn from others, and promote the community spirit that is the foundation of Web3 and NFT art.

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