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photo provided Dinara Mirtalipova
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photo provided Dinara Mirtalipova
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photo provided Dinara Mirtalipova
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photo provided Dinara Mirtalipova
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Francois Gagne
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photo provided Dinara Mirtalipova
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After leaving her hometown of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dinara Mirtalipova longed for its culture. She settled in Ohio about 15 years ago and pursued freelance art after she had her daughter, Sabrina, and left her career in illustrating and hand lettering at American Greetings. The Sagamore Hills-based illustrator found her way back to her multicultural roots through her art.
“I realized how deeply I missed all those little nuances,” she says. “It was the greatest desire grabbing a pen and paintbrush, … drawing some of those moments from my childhood. Lots of them involve storytelling, like folklore, songs, pattern.”
Mirtalipova explains that the central Asian region where she grew up was a crossroads of many cultures and the lush patterns and motifs that come with them. “My family celebrated textiles,” she says. “It was not only dresses but also interior designs like wall coverings, carpet, kitchen towels, mattresses — basically everything.”
The rich illustrations from her Mirdinara line depict mythical worlds and flourishing nature. They don’t reference specific stories but rather are modern renderings of dreamlike recollections of her past.
“It’s just from memory, whatever comes to my mind or to my heart,” Mirtalipova says.
Her whimsical art is on everyday items that have been sold through international retailers such as Godiva chocolate boxes, Italian boutique iBlues dresses, Crate & Kids toys, Afternoon Tea cups and more. She tells the stories behind some of her items that you can use to enchant your home.
Mermaid wallpaper and bedding, $225 and $175
Mirtalipova first drew this pattern while telling Sabrina stories about mermaids and their underwater escapades. “She asked me to draw mermaids over and over,” she says. She partnered with Hygge & West to make the nautical pattern into bedding and wallpaper, which was featured on the TV show, “Succession.” How to Style: Mirtalipova used the pink-and-gold mermaid paper as an accent wall behind Sabrina’s desk (pictured). “That wall isn’t too overwhelming,” she says. “At the same time, it creates a point of interest.”
Tea Towels, $24
One of Mirdinara’s first products, the tea towels were first made by carving patterns out of lino block, hand stamping and sewing each one. The soft, absorbent cotton towels are so popular that they are now mass produced, and Mirtalipova gives them as host gifts, including a versatile black-and-white floral one (pictured). How to Style: “When I’m having guests, it makes a nice accent to have a platter on or display food,” she says.
Art Prints, $100
These giclee art prints are reproductions of her original art made using gouache opaque water-based paints and are printed on high-quality cotton paper with light-resistant inks. Mirtalipova enjoys exploring local parks with a sketchbook and loves her “Summer Flowers” 24-by-18-inch piece (pictured) that features red blooms on a green background. “After a long winter, we are still thirsty for green and some sunlight,” she says. “Nature’s awakening is exciting.”
Planner, $15.99
Find a new Mirdinara 17-month weekly planner each year showcasing elements of her latest work. Her 2023 version (pictured) is out this month, featuring pink, white and red flowers on a black background. The design recalls an item from her childhood: black floral Russian lockboxes. “My grandma used to have those,” Mirtalipova says. “The colors look bright and happy on black.”
