Rita Vicari was born and raised in Lipetsk, Russia. By the time she left her home country, she had already built a career as a professional dancer and gotten a psychology degree that she decided not to pursue. She started painting very early in her years. Although her childhood was very happy, she and her sisters were growing up during the 90s in a post-soviet atmosphere. In lack of much she learned how to admire simple things but it drove her desire to find or create something new and original. Her art took different forms – from poetry and dance choreography, she found her way back to painting again. She left her country and lived in South Korea for a few years. After exploring Asian culture and that part of the world, Rita moved to the United States where she finally found all the possibilities to perfect her skills and become a professional artist. I’m excited that she decided to sit down with me to discuss her travels, career, and upcoming creative projects.
Hey Rita, can you tell me a little about your upbringing?
I grew up in a small town. I always say it’s close to Moscow, but it’s like a five-hour drive. When I grew up, I realized that I was growing up in the post-Soviet era. It was fun and not fun at the same time. I remember my parents mentioning that there would be only one type of bread and one type of cheese in the store and there was no variety of things that I remember. My parents are doctors, so it was very common that they would do their appointments and my mom would always bring us chocolate and candies all the time, but apparently it was not common. The country collapsed and the economy was really bad, but I remember the community was really strong. People were helping each other and cared a lot about each other, so I remember my childhood was a very happy time because there were no shops, no malls, no movie theaters, and nothing was working. We would spend a lot of time outside in nature, so I think that’s a big impact on my art. I paint a lot of nature, birds, flowers, and bees.
What was the public transportation like in Russia?
I want to just say that I started driving six months ago, this is how much I didn’t need to drive in Russia. The public transportation is really good and I was taking trains everywhere. If I was going to the south of Russia, it’s a train. It’s a 24-hour train, but it’s still a fun thing to do. There are places where you can go like the Black Sea and Sochi, which is where the Olympic games were held in 2014. This is the place where people go and just have fun on vacations and family, but now of course we have planes and stuff, so it’s much easier. It’s like one hour and you’re in the south. Russia is super big, I’ve never been to the east. There’s a trans-Siberian train, so I think it’s a week to get from where I’m at to the other end of Russia. It’s really cool. I have friends who took that train and it’s really fun. People don’t really go to the north because it’s just cold, but whatever everybody thinks about Russia, it’s not where I grew up. We had no bears on the streets.
What influenced your decision to get a psychology degree?
It was mostly because I was a troubled teenager. I was just thinking a lot, just trying to figure out myself and other people, so my dad told me why don’t you do a psychology degree. The funny fact is that 90% of people who do a psychology degree are just trying to figure out themselves, and the other 10% try to help others. I never really wanted to pursue that career. It was a little hard in Russia, I mean it’s still common, but not as common as in America to be a psychologist. My first job was at the university and I was a professional guidance counselor and I was teaching psychology. I didn’t do much as a psychologist. Then my part-time job was being a professional dancer, and I had a dance team and would travel a lot within Russia just for contests and everything. I thought I was going to be a professional dancer forever, but it’s not what life had in mind for me. I went to Sochi to work for the Olympic games and I met my husband. All my travel is basically because of him. I spoke no English, but it worked out. We fell in love and he lived in South Korea and I moved there too, so we lived there for four years. We also traveled in the Asian countries like Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia. I couldn’t find dancing opportunities because of the language barrier, so I went back to my hobbies from childhood and I decided to start painting. We had a community of people from around the world who lived close by and helped create a success sole exhibition. Though, every time I would try to go to a gallery or anything, they wouldn’t take me because I didn’t have any degree. They really value all kinds of degrees and diplomas and if you’re just good and self-taught, they probably just don’t care.
What was the transition to the United States like?
My husband was from the United States, he’s from Jersey and his father was getting older so we wanted to spend time with him. We were in Jersey and I found this online mastery program. I was really excited about it because they were teaching everything from the skills to marketing and business, which I think was the most important because there are just different things everywhere. They teach your business, but you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re just painting, and it’s just scattered pieces of everything. But this program was just amazing because it had everything, and so I dedicated a whole year. Now, I work as a coach for this mastery program for the online institute. It’s called Milan Art Institute and it’s really fulfilling for me. Everything I know is probably 95% from my teachers and from just this amazing program. I meet a lot of artists because I do different shows and when I talk to them, some have been doing this for 40 years and they have no idea who they are. The program teaches you who you are first by diving deep into your personality and why you are like this, and what you want to do with your art. Once you learn that, business and marketing comes easier because you know what you represent.
Were there similar artistic challenges in the United States compared to previous countries?
I think that’s why people all over the world want to live in America because you can make huge advances if you’re hardworking and willing to learn. In other countries, there might be more value placed on a degree and not have that same type of mobility. I didn’t have a degree and didn’t graduate from a super serious university here for an art degree, but I applied to galleries or big art shows and people judged me for my skill and accomplishments. I do think degrees are good though, they can really expand your knowledge and I would love to get a full art degree, but I think I’m self-learning a lot in that case.
Are there any specific art periods you enjoy?
I love the 20th century like Picasso and Dali. I like reading about the oldest artists because one started something then the other ones continued it, so it was like a chain of people who were changing the world so fast. The art world changed from centuries of traditional painting, but certain individuals were bold enough to say no. I was studying Salvador Dali’s art for like four years. I was buying every book I could find in Russia and I was just studying all of his paintings and his life. He’s just a fascinating character.
Is there a reason for the affinity towards painting female portraits?
Not really, I think the only reason I paint women is because I am a woman so I can relate to the stories. I try to paint men, but it’s just a little different. But I think it’s good that men and women are different and I learned from psychology courses how women’s psychology works and men’s psychology works.
Any projects you’re excited about moving forward in 2022?
I want to really try and take my art to Dallas and get some gallery presentations. I want to do shows in Dallas and just see how it goes. I want to continue doing it because everything that I do, I always teach. I taught dancing and psychology, so whatever I find for myself, I like sharing it. When you teach somebody, you’re basically giving advice to your younger self. I remember that loneliness and that lost feeling in the past, where I didn’t know what I’m doing. I wanted that person that would say look, I’m going to help you. I really wanna help students succeed. It’s interesting to see how artists compete, but I don’t think there should be any competition in art. I think it’s silly because we’re all so different and our passions should unite us.
