Artist Who Paints With Wine Wows The Internet

Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A painter who uses wine to create stunning portraits and landscapes has conquered the internet with her unusual art.

Painter Sanja Jankovic was born in the Serbian region of Srem, an area famous for its vineyards and wine production.

She came up the idea of trying to use wine as an alternative painting technique during a wine-tasting event where she started admiring the stains and splatters spilled on the white sheets in front of her.

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As result, she started practising the art form known as Vinorel, which means painting with wine.

Drawn by the thoughts of the distant worlds of the Orient after growing up mesmerised by the beautiful lands she saw in pictures in illustrated encyclopaedias, it was logical to include this in her work.

She had always seen herself from a nomadic perspective, which is something she achieved by travelling to China after completing her postgraduate studies at the Academy of Arts in the city of Novi Sad in Serbia.

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In the past six years she has lived in Dubai where she concentrated on her academic career. She teaches History of Art and General History and holds painting lessons at the Canadian University in Dubai.

In a recent interview, she described how she works with the Vinorel technique, saying: “I have been trying different varieties of grapes and their pigments for several years.

“I carefully choose wines for painting. I avoid wines of lower quality because they contain sugar crystals that leave a sticky mark while acidic wines can destroy the canvas. I stick to proven formulas and varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz for deeper tones, and Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for lighter effects.”

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According to Jankovic, wine requires experience and a patient hand as mistakes are almost impossible to correct. Adding a protective layer after finalising the painting is very important because of the wine’s oxidising properties.

She adds that Vinorel as a technique does not tolerate sunlight or moisture. That’s why the colour changes over time.

Jankovic started off by painting portraits and landscapes, however, currently she focuses on the geographical origin of the wine and its representation through art.

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People’s traditions and their wine culture are also an important aspect of her paintings.

Jankovic happily sells her paintings online most of which sit on a 35×27 canvas.

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