Connoisseurs of beauty follow the announcements of his exhibitions. The author's unusual style, his irony and unpredictability made his works welcome guests at exhibitions and festivals in Russia and abroad.
The talent of this sculptor and artist is multifaceted. After the presentation of each of his new work, he himself admits that he is constantly looking for new forms and does not want to blindly copy the classics. The desire to keep abreast of social life, interest in modern trends in the world of fine arts helps to determine the theme for creativity for our hero. And the master also loves his hometown and compatriots very much.
Childhood
Valera was born in April 1949. The Mikheev family lived in the village of Seredichi in the Oryol region. The father of the newborn Fyodor fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Returning to his homeland after the defeat of the Nazis, he met the school teacher Anna. To be close to his beloved, the veteran also got a job at the school. He taught history. Soon the wedding took place, and now the wife pleased her husband with her firstborn.
The boy could not wait for his student life to begin. His dad became the headmaster of the school, his son wanted to spend more time with his parents. From the first grade, the kid tried not to disgrace his relatives. He was an excellent student, a favorite of teachers. The mentors noted that this child achieves success not only by diligence, he has talents that need to be given a chance to reveal themselves. After finishing 7 classes, the teenager was sent to receive education at the school in the city of Bolkhov.
Youth
The graduate decided to continue the teaching dynasty. In 1966 he was able to enter the Oryol State University at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. The exact sciences were not included in the sphere of interests of the young man, but diligence allowed him to avoid problems with his studies. However, doubts about the correctness of the choice did not cease to torment Valery. In 1969, the student shocked the household with a statement that he was transferred to the art and graphic faculty.
Close people tried to make the boy's decision, and in his native village everyone remembered what the old people said on the boy's birthday. The joyous event coincided with the Christian holiday of the Annunciation. According to local beliefs, on this day, newborns receive a special gift from God. Young Mikheev was well-known and flattered by this legend. Later, in his work, he will often turn to images from folk legends and tales, Christian subjects.
Artist
Valery received his diploma in 1973. He devoted his first works to the history of his native land. The master made his contribution to the perpetuation of the feat of the people during the Great Patriotic War. The prototypes of the heroes were people who surrounded our hero from childhood - his father, his fellow soldiers, parents of classmates. The close and familiar features of the monuments made them popular in Orel and Belgorod. Mikheev often sculpted and painted portraits of his friends. Later, such sketches from nature will turn into a separate genre. In 1983 he became a member of the Union of Artists of Russia.
The second source of inspiration for the minister of muses was Russian literature. Valery Mikheev was the author of the famous monument to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin on Komsomolskaya Street in Orel. The sculptor took a long look at the self-portraits of the great writer and used them as a model for his creation. Today this monument is recognized as one of the best depictions of the genius of Russian literature.
Achievements and failures
The path to fame is always thorny. Our hero had to learn this not from someone else's lips. His works have been exhibited in Russia and abroad. Valery Mikheev is a welcome guest in the galleries of Japan, Germany and Holland, the career of the master has been marked with a number of significant awards. In 2002, his works were awarded a diploma at the international exhibition "The Art of Nations", which was held in Moscow. The list of achievements can be continued for a long time.
A painful failure for the sculptor was the criticism by the Oryol City Council of the project of a memorial plaque to Ivan Turgenev. The author, in the opinion of local deputies, performed the image of his favorite writer in an unreliable and ugly manner. The second object, which earned unflattering assessments of the audience, was a monument to victims of radiation disasters. The people called this statue "Liver".
Live for the day
Today Valery Mikheev continues to amaze visitors of exhibitions with unusual sculptures and paintings. He does not hesitate to present canvases and figures, the idea of which was born many years ago. The sculptor and painter does not devote anyone to the details of his personal life. Art critics can only guess who the women are, whose images are so often found in his work. Connoisseurs also note that the author's works have become more chamber and sarcastic over the years. This does not mean that Mikheev abandoned monumental creativity. Most recently, he took part in a competition to design a monument to journalists who died during an editorial assignment.
Remembering his difficult biography with a winding path into the world of art, Mikheev pays great attention to the training of young masters of the cutter and brush. He teaches at the Oryol Art School, was the initiator of decorating the city with the works of his students. For such a manifestation of unplayed patriotism, the masters are respected and loved in their hometown.
