Now Released: Composing from Memory & Imagination
Click on the image to see the introduction
My new course with MasterDemos.art is live today. You can watch the course trailer, which introduces the demo:
https://www.masterdemos.art/products/daud-akhriev
Filmed in Melissa and my home studio, the series documents the construction of a painting from memory and imagination across its full duration—from initial conception through final resolution.
The work centers on a complex scene inspired by a Moroccan fishing port. Figures, boats, birds, and architecture are brought together within a single composition that requires constant negotiation between movement and order. Rather than isolating techniques, the course follows how decisions accumulate and how structure is maintained as complexity increases.
As many of you know, my method is deeply informed by my Soviet academic training, where invention and compositional clarity were central requirements. Throughout the course, visual experiences are transformed into deliberate arrangements of form, value, and color. Each element is placed with intent, contributing to the larger visual hierarchy rather than existing as a standalone detail.
The series unfolds at a measured pace. Early stages establish underlying relationships before surface refinement begins. Later sections focus on adjustment—edges softened or sharpened, color temperatures recalibrated, emphasis redirected—until the painting resolves into a unified whole. Revisions and corrections are shown as part of the process rather than edited away.
The collaboration reflects a shared belief between Daud and MasterDemos that serious instruction benefits from patience. The result is a demo shaped by attention to rhythm, light, and continuity.
Composing from Memory & Imagination is intended to be revisited over time. It is not designed for quick consumption, but for sustained study—offering insight into both the construction of a single painting and the broader thinking behind it.
I am grateful to Zavdi and Justin at MasterDemos, who have been the ideal partners in both vision and execution of the project. I hope those of you who would like a permanent record like this will enjoy it and find it helpful.
