Ivan Mario Andonov

I was born and raised in Bulgaria, and grew up in the small town of Blagoevgrad. At the age of four, my parents got divorced. When I was 16 my mom won ‘green card” and we came to USA, first we lived in Chicago for a couple of months but we didn’t like the big city life and the traffic so we moved to Burlington, small village 100 miles west of Chicago, and that's were I went to school and graduated at. Going to school and working in a factory at the age of 16 I learned how hard life can be and how to take care of my self and my mom and younger brother. I was about 12 when I discovered my artistic inclinations. As a child, I was always drawing or making something but when I was about 12 I started drawing portraits with pencil and than oil paint and I discovered I am good at it. Also I remember in 5th grade having drawing projects and I got 1st place in school, it made me so happy, I felt special, I felt the gift that I have.
However, I never thought of myself as an artist, nor of art as a career. I was just doing so many other things that I was enjoying like computers or designing and building my own unique cars or electrician, making my own unique electric projects or photography, I just love creating something. But I Discovered the love for painting and it was different I mean every time I create a painting and I look at it and it gives me so much love and so much energy, it was amazing, creating something so beautiful from nothing… and watching people loving it and opening they eyes so big like they see miracles. It feels great to bring something into the World what never existed, something unique, without destroying something else. Making people happy with my paintings is what makes me happiest. But life wasn’t so easy I needed to work hard and make money so I can pay my Moms medical bills and rent so I didn’t have time to paint between the age of 17 and 20.My mom was sick and doctors told her she must move to dry state like Arizona for her bones, so in 2000 we moved to Phoenix. I was working hard as courier or pizza delivery or room service in “The Phoenician”, I had forgotten about my passion for art. I hadn't drawn in years! It was a shocking revelation for me. It was like some very important part of me had disappeared, I was actually scared that I forgot to paint and it was killing me so I got the brush in my hand and I started drawing again and never looked back.

I never took any art classes and I studied on my own. Well I did study art in High school but my teacher was very unhappy that my paintings are way better than hers and I was always getting D or C grades in art, all the other kids and teachers couldn't believe my grades at art but I didn’t care about the grades, everyone in school was amazed by my art so that was making me very happy. I went to Florida and I visited the Salvador Dali’s museum and looking at his work in real, that gave me the need of love to paint more and more and be good at it. Once I had my mind settled on painting, I was relentless. It was an all-consuming passion. Painting portraits was my favorite, everybody was telling me how portraits are most difficult and it takes a long time and hard work to make a real good portrait but it was just beautiful seeing some one saying “O MY GOD I love your portraits they look so real” , more real than real life and in a way he is right. Its great painting a forever lasting portrait of someone or their love ones and making them happy. Then I said to my self, this could really be a great career for me, because everybody loves portraits and it’s the perfect present for any occasion, people never expect an oil painted portrait of their family for present, they first think its a picture and when they open it they cant believe their eyes ,and it stays there on the wall all the time and everyday they look at it, they smile and realize how much they love each other. Portrait of loved animals, family, parents, kids or favorite people is what I have painted most, I have done so much other styles too and I would say that religious icons are my favorite too, my dream for many years was to paint real big Icon on wood and donate it to this small Church in Phoenix and I finally did it, I just came back from church one Sunday and I went to Home Depots I got the biggest peace of wood they have, its about 7 feet tall and I started painting the religious painting with oil on wood of St Sofia and her three daughters Believe, Hope and Love, the name of the Church is St Sofia, I now feel like my dream have came true and I feel so happy and I know I can make any dream come true if I keep working hard.
I found out that I can paint anything, any style any color anything at all, people give me pictures of their favorite place or favorite painting and I paint it and they just put it on the wall and every time they look at it takes them to that place, that’s how powerful paintings are, every time I look at it, it takes me to that place or if its person or animal I just feel like its next to me, looking at me. Picasso was so right when he said “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life”.
I was selling work, attracting folks who were interested in collecting my work as they could see the beauty in my painting, and now I am happier than ever painting and doing what I love most.
As an artist, I have achieved success nationally and internationally now, having appeared on radio and in newspapers and magazines. My work is found virtually all over the world. My goal in life is to help homeless children, and people who really need help. Nothing makes me happier than helping some one, it’s like i am helping my self because after I help some one or make them happy and it makes me 100 times happier!