Sasha Khorosheva

Your artist statement asks a simple but profound question: “Can you feel at home every time you move?” What first inspired this idea, and how personal is it for you?

For the past seven years, I have been constantly on the move, searching for a place to call home. Friends often ask how I am not afraid to leave everything behind and move somewhere without knowing anyone, assuming it must be terrifying. For me, however, moving feels natural. Through creating these works, I try to understand how I adapt to new places time after time, and how they come to feel like home. Eventually, I realized that my sketchbook might be the answer. By always looking for something interesting to draw, I explore more, notice more, and find beauty wherever I go.

Sasha Khorosheva | Sunday Hike | 2025

Many of your works are based on direct observation and plein air sketching. What does drawing on location give you that studio work cannot?

Drawing on location gives me something that working from photos in a comfortable studio cannot – a sense of momentum that is both so alive and fragile. On location, time, materials, and space are limited. And as it often happens, these limitations spark creativity and lead to unique solutions that would not emerge in more controlled conditions. You don’t have the luxury of overexplaining the image visually, which forces you to focus on the essence of a place and its feeling.

Sasha Khorosheva | Hey | 2025

You often depict environments that feel lived-in rather than idealized. How do you decide which details are essential to capture the atmosphere of a place?

I am someone who loves details, but if a detail does not help tell a story, I keep it secondary or leave it out altogether. When I sketch, I don’t chase perfection, precise proportions, or a polished image. Instead, I focus on less obvious details, like mossy walls, cracked paint, torn paper or stained fabrics. These elements often describe a place more honestly than a broader view. They tell a story about the kind of life being lived there. Environments are shaped by people, and people are shaped by environments.

Travel and movement seem central to your practice. Do you feel that sketching helps you build emotional connections to new places faster?

Absolutely. Sketching helps me build familiarity and create memories. When I walk with friends, I often find myself saying things like, “I sketched this spot,” or “I saw a fun character in that cafe,” or “The light hits this tree beautifully in the evenings.” I may not remember exactly how every sketch I made looks, but I always remember what drew me to a place and what made me open my sketchbook there.

Sasha Khorosheva | Fellow Sketcher | 2025

You work with markers, pencils, and watercolour. How do these materials influence the mood and emotional tone of your drawings?

When I find something I want to draw, I decide intuitively which materials to use. Pencil work is more about texture, sturucture and details for me. I do have a strong love for linework, which is why I often choose watercolour and liner pen over gouache. It allows me to preserve expressive lines and sprinkle them with some colour. The combination helps me balance structure and shape the emotional tone of each piece.

Sasha Khorosheva | Just Riding By | 2024

Several of your works suggest quiet transitions – arrivals, departures, pauses. What role does time play in your visual storytelling?

Because I am often on the move, there is rarely a sense of permanence. Every sketch might be the last one I make in a particular location before moving again, so I approach each with care and attention. These sketches also document my life and help me remember the places I have called home, even briefly. 

After all, a sketchbook is really just a collection of moments frozen in time, which is a comforting thought when starting a new drawing.

Sasha Khorosheva | New Beginnings | 2025

When viewers look at your work, what do you hope they recognize or feel from their own experiences?

I hope viewers recognize something personal in my work. The most meaningful response for me is when someone connects my images to their own memories and experiences. I also hope my work encourages people to notice beauty in simple, everyday details and appreciate the ordinary a little more.