About

Ukrainian self-taught artist, known as Valeria Myrusso, an owner of the studio and the same name brand — “Grimoire La poule noire”. I live and work in Prague, the Czech Republic.
I have been started working with a polymer clay in 2006, using this material as a sculptural addition to my mixed-style artwork. Step by step, I’ve became interested in another kind of decorative arts — a jewelry making. I was truly fascinated by the idea of designing and making unusual and non-mainstream author’s jewelry, using artistic skills and my already quite formed style.
The main interest for me was the sculptural miniature, modeling and sculpting, other techniques I have used for decoration and realizing various effects.
Through the experimenting with different types and brands of polymer clays, additional and auxiliary materials, with styles and researches in art, I came to the basic concept of my workshop and artistic philosophy: “to create the art object, that can be an alternative to classic jewelry art in the form and quality”.
To do this I have adapted some jewelry techniques and applied them to the polymer clay; thanks to polymer clays and variety of pastes, inks and pigments, I make impression of metals, porcelain, enamel, or frosted glass.
In addition to the polymer clay in my artworks I use natural materials such as a coral or mother-of-pearl, precious and semi-precious stones, metals for decoration and inner frames.
I take inspiration in a history and culture, art and philosophy, mythology and folklore, in the world of nature and urban aesthetics. In my works you can find elements of such styles as art Nouveau, art deco, baroque, gothic, and many others.
Nevertheless, it is of interest for me to work not only in the genre of “historical decoration”, but also to create contemporary art that is actual, interesting and challenging, despite all the cultural borrowings from the art-styles and genres of different eras and ethnic group, to follow my own author’s style, develop and improve it.
The allusion to an alchemical grimoire “La poule noire”/ “Black pullet” is a metaphor for the creative process as a real magic, a symbol of a search and evolution of oneself.
There is always a touch of dark aesthetics and decadent movement, symbolism and mysticism in my jewelry. But first of all, my creative search is focused on understanding beauty in the world around us, real and illusory, material or mental, sometimes fanciful, sometimes laconic, sometimes life-asserting and sometimes frightening.