SLONA
HERITAGE HOME
Featured Artist
Mitko Zhelezarov
Mitko is a Bulgarian visual artist whose work spans painting, collage, drawing and graphic media. Working across canvas, wood and paper, he combines bold colour and expressive forms with a curiosity for materials and the stories they can tell. His work invites viewers to look beyond the familiar and discover unexpected connections between tradition, memory and contemporary expression.
The Collection
A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts, Mitko Zhelezarov has developed a distinctive artistic style shaped by his fascination with colour, symbolism and the enduring stories of Christian tradition.
His paintings invite us into a world where familiar symbols take on new life. A fish, a boat, a blessing hand or a chalice may appear simple at first glance, yet each carries a deeper meaning. Through these images, Mitko explores themes of faith, love, hope and the things that connect us to something greater than ourselves.
His approach is expressive and instinctive, bringing together vivid colours, rhythmic lines and forms that leave room for personal interpretation. Rather than telling us exactly what to see, his paintings invite us to pause, look closer and discover our own meaning in them.
Working across painting, drawing and digital art, Mitko continues to explore new ways of expressing ideas that have remained meaningful across generations. His work brings together the familiarity of tradition and the freedom of contemporary expression, creating a world that feels both deeply personal and universally understood.
AWARDS
2002 First Prize, International Art Collages, Paris, France
1998 Prize for Tempera on Paper, Union of Bulgarian Artists, Sofia, Bulgaria
1996 Special Award Miniature Oil Paintings, Seoul, Korea
1990 First Prize, Black and White Drawings ; Bus. Assoc. of Plodiv, Bulgaria
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Bulgaria, Greece, Holland, Germany, Korea, USA, Belgium, Cyprus, France, England, Finland.