Artist decorates his home, Basin locations and book cover

EPHRATA — Along a quiet road in Ephrata, there is a house perhaps more personal than most.

Michael Chesnakov built the home and added to it his time and imagination by adorning to its walls and ceilings with creations stemming from his hobby of plasterwork.

Chesnakov always liked to draw and was in his teens when he realized he was an artist. He studied art in Moscow, Russia, for three years before moving to the United States in 1989. He furthered his art education through a program in Scranton, Penn.

He spent nine years at the Washington State Department of Agriculture as an inspector, finding time on the weekends to channel his talent into painting.

His art is not only showcased in his home, but is displayed in other Columbia Basin locations and even as cover art in bookstores.

For the plaster in his home, Chesnakov imagines the design he wants and draws a sketch to use as a reference.

Walking into the home, there are designs to the left and right on the way into the main room. In the center of this room's ceiling is a round shape with roses carved around its perimeter.

Roses are in common with almost all the plasterwork in the house because Chesnakov thought it helped make the house feel more like a home.

"That's what you say 'home sweet home' for," he said.

Other designs include medallions.

Not many people have seen the interior of his house, but the friends he's had over initially think the designs are purchased from a home improvement store and affixed as one piece to the walls or ceiling.

When they learn he's done the work himself, using a combination of molding, carving and hand-shaping, they find it hard to believe, he said.

The ceiling is difficult to work on.

"You always have to be like a Spiderman on the ceiling," he said.

There is an ongoing climbing in the process as he ascends the ladder to carve the plaster, descends to stand back and look at the progress, then ascends to continue, making adjustments as he goes.

Chesnakov's talent must not only lie in his hands and ability to balance on a ladder, but also in his spatial sense and knowledge of light and shadows.

A good ceiling to work with should be no higher than 13 feet and no lower than 9 feet, he said. If the ceiling is too tall, the height makes the work awkward and the details in the design are not seen clearly at such a distance.

A ceiling lower than 9 feet, especially with a chandelier hanging from it (Chesnakov has a clear one hanging from his design) puts it too close to the viewer, causing them to lean back in order to look at it.

The chandelier and plaster compliment each other. The light against the carved shapes creates shadows, adding depth and dimension to the design.

Chesnakov said his foresight enables him to know how the appearance is to be affected.

He works part time, which gives him more time to hone in on his hobbies, but he would like the art to become a career eventually.

People ask if he could do a project in their homes, and he admits to liking the idea.

"I'm pretty much ready to do this tomorrow," he said.

His ambition is growing and he aims to have his projects increase in scope.

"Every time I want to make it more difficult. I could make it more complicated," he said.

He says his extra time lets him get to work whenever inspiration strikes.

"Inspiration, if it comes to you, you don't care if it's Monday or Tuesday," he said.

His paintings yield earnings for him, but a short time spent with him reveals he is motivated by the art, not the business. He was commissioned by the Quincy Catholic Church to paint a 7-foot mural. Upon completion, the Church said they would like to pay him more than the amount agreed upon, but Chesnakov declined.

"A deal is a deal," he told them.

There are times when he gives away his artwork to friends.

"Sometimes you have to make people happy," he said.

Chesnakov made someone in another state happy by accident. Leila Rae Sommerfield, an Oregon author, saw one of his paintings and was so impressed she tracked him down and asked him to create a cover for one of her books. His artistic vision became especially helpful during this assignment.

Sommerfield described to him what she was picturing for the cover and he painted based on the description. She told him he perfectly captured what was in her mind. They are now good friends, communicating through e-mail and the experience had a positive impact on his art.

"She inspired me to paint more," he said.

Besides the Quincy Catholic Church, Chesnakov has pieces on display at Les Parr Real Estate in Ephrata and is thinking about having his own art show at the Soap Lake Art Museum, possibly this summer.