About me

Mari Gru (born in 1993 in Ukraine) is a fine artist living and working in the United Kingdom. She creates figurative art in a fantasy setting.

Mari explored many genres and art styles for more than five years before finding her artistic voice. She was always a dreamer and often imagined herself as a forest-keeping sorceress, looking after the health of the trees and animals and protecting the forest from evil. After getting a degree in Arts, Mari painted landscapes of magical woodlands and fantasy characters but was led astray by the galleries and art collectors’ advice on her genre. She explored the abstract genre for quite a while before understanding that what she actually loves always was with her.

I want to create something that reflects my emotions and feelings. My ultimate goal is to find people who would resonate with my art and establish a connection to their soul, giving them an experience that warms something inside them. I want my art to help open and enrich others’ hearts.

Mari Gru

Mari finds inspiration in nature. She can’t live a single day without a walk in the forest or a glimpse of the waterside. She loves animals a lot, I find them the cutest creatures and get a lot of joy from spending time with them.

You can feel all that passion in Mari’s paintings. It feels like they invite you to walk along the fantasy path to fulfill the desire for magic.

The Process

Creating a picture is a long process. First, an idea borns and continues to haunt the inquisitive brain of the artist all the time. Then comes a long search for a solution to its transformation into the sketch. Last, the most laborious process of painting a magical landscape on canvas, which includes the selection of colours, creation of volumes and depth, and rendering of details. Placing each brushstroke brings joy to Mari, and she completely gives herself to it. Each stage adds a drop of magic to the new world for you.

Mari uses the best materials for work: highly pigmented oil paints, a medium that does not yellow over time, and cotton canvases with a stretcher or an artist board. After completion, I paint the edge, which makes it possible to hang a picture without a frame, and I cover it with varnish to preserve the colours for many years. She produces image material for prints by scanning the pictures, not capturing them on the photo camera, which provides the maximum definition, and actual colors of the painting to the final printed product.

In the Mari Gru Studio store, you can buy a lovely picture or a print that will decorate the interior and fill your life with joy and magic!

Artist Biography

I’m a full-time artist as well as a Mum to Sophia aged 2. Living and working in Nottingham, UK. I chose oil as my primary medium and work with a brush and palette knife using several different techniques.

Born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. My passion for painting was discovered when I was 4 years old. I liked to spend all my time in art school with my elder sister. While she was learning there I played and paint whatever I wanted. At the age of seven, I started to learn in art school on my own.

I finished the School of Arts in 2008 and got a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design in 2013 from the Salvador Dali Art University in Kyiv. Since then, I started to work as a professional artist.

In 2018 my husband, Paul, and I decided to move to the UK. Nottingham has already felt like home. I’ve been loving diving into my paintings all day and night, dedicating my full focus to bettering my craft. And as a mom, I found a lot of new things and feelings that inspired me for new artworks.

The center of my work changes along with my fascinations and life. I’m constantly learning and doing my best to grow. I learn by experimentation, and that’s what makes it so exciting for me, just letting the paint take you somewhere interesting. My inspiration can spark anywhere and from anything. I always feel connected to my work.