Marina: Creator of Hand-Drawn Mirrors

The kajak.mk team continues to promote local heroes in Macedonia who create small things of great significance for tourism development. Tourism is an industry that skillfully utilizes the knowledge and stories of such individuals, which is why our articles will help many local tour operators discover new artisans who represent our national treasure.

Today, we introduce you to Marina Cvetkovska, who shares her story with kajak.mk about painting mirrors.

Marina says that art has been her constant companion since her youth. It’s important to highlight that she also writes poetry and prose. In 2021, she published her first poetry collection, titled Sonchevina, and she is currently preparing another book of essays, along with a poetry collection for children.

Alongside her writing, she began creating hand-drawn mirrors. Marina explains that she started as a self-taught artist over a decade ago and emphasizes that this form of art is very rare. This makes her the only person in Macedonia who creates art on mirrors. As for the Balkan region, she knows of artists from Slovenia who share the same passion for this unique craft.

"Precisely because of the uniqueness of the mirror, I decided to fully dedicate myself to it. The idea of drawing on a mirror came to me spontaneously, during an unfortunate incident when a large mirror shattered," says Marina. She adds that she decided to give the broken mirror a new life by creating several smaller mirrors from it.

"But something was missing from those little mirrors; they lacked refinement. So, I decided to give them a 'SOUL' by painting them by hand," she explains.

She emphasizes that the mirror is a unique canvas that does not tolerate overcrowding, which is why mastering the technique requires time and concentration. Marina is employed, but she dedicates her free time to creating something truly unique.

Besides her work, she makes time for hiking, active cycling, and participating in a traditional dance group.

If you’d like to contact Marina and order a custom hand-painted mirror, you can reach her at: 070 / 279-583.