As a child, Roberts Rūrāns aspired to become a “bone doctor”. Maybe he really would have become a world-known surgeon, but now, seeing his witty and cute characters, we can be happy that Roberts chose brushes not scalpels. Get to know the mood of the MADARA Christmas collection!

We here at MADARA have a Christmas tradition that we follow year after year – we greet the holiday season with a splash of bright colours and a touch of festive joy that adds just a pinch of sparkle and naive childhood-like delight to a holiday that can otherwise sometimes get way too stormy and rushed. This year, our limited edition festive collection is wrapped in fun original illustrations by Latvian artist Roberts Rūrāns, who improvised a wintery scene in a city and various personalities that click together during just one casual stroll. Learn the story behind this artwork and find out how Roberts feels about Christmas himself.

Did you always know you were going to be an artist?

I`ve enjoyed drawing since I can remember, but I only started to seriously consider becoming a professional artist in high school. In childhood I found the archaeology and “bone doctor”

How did you develop your signature style?

I could say that continuous drawing and working in the graphic design and street art fields made the greatest contribution to my style, but I only decided to work in this particular visual style after one and a half years. This decision came after a great deal of consideration about the illustration industry, clients’ needs and my inner passion to work in aesthetics which I enjoy myself, and it can be characterised by simplified shapes, traditional technique textures, bright and lively colour palette.

Your artwork is known for being smart and very witty. Is this the way you see the world every day?

I think so, yes, but I guess only those who really know me would be able to say whether it is true.

Where do you get inspiration for your characters and situations?

Inspiration as a part of my motivation was more related to the times when I was only drawing for my own joy and practice, and not professionally. Now I feel more like there is no inspiration at all, or I have it with me nonstop, because I love my job and I am happy to do it daily. There are some things that boost my wish to create though – days off, walks in the forest and the creative work of other artists.

How did you come up with the festive mood of this MADARA collection?

In my opinion, this illustration project was very successful collaboration, and the result was created through the interaction of myself and the MADARA creative team. I had to keep in mind that the task was to create something representative of the values the brand has, so I chose humanity as the main one. I played it out quite easily and ironically in a quite ordinary situation – a walk in the city park. It`s quite ironic that in this case humanity is played by characters that are not humans themselves, but their actions or visual appearance reminds us of the world around us where in a park one meets a cosmopolitan and fancy dog lady, a couple deeply in love, a technology-addicted worm on a segway, and a deliberate snail, to whom the events of this century are like a snowdrift on its little house.

What Christmas values you cherish the most?

Peace, joy, family and goodwill among our surrounding ones, which comes from the fact that we are celebrating the birthday of Jesus.

What do you expect to see under the Christmas tree?

I don`t have any special wishes; anything from my nearest and dearest will be good enough!

HERE`S A GIFT FOR YOU: DRESS UP YOUR TECH!

Add a bright splash of colour and a festive mood to your desktop or mobile phone with these wallpapers – original illustrations by Roberts Rūrāns.

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Explore the amazing fantasy world of Roberts:

ROBERTSRURANS.COM

Bold colours, festive aromas and just the right dose of glitter and shine – you`ll find 6 unique beauty gifts in the MADARA Smart Glow festive collection, from deliciously scented soap bars, body wash and nurturing hand cream to a bombshell Shimmering Lotion and glow enhancing skin care set.