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“But in my heart, my value is color. I want to be known as the colorist.”
Indeed, the intense yet harmonious color schemes that artist Sitka Gulergun carefully chooses for his art are what catch visitors’ eyes and entice them into Sitka Home Art Gallery, his artistic sanctuary on Newbury Street. His colorful watercolors and oil paintings decorate the tall, white walls and the red-brick arches of this charming gallery, leading up to his workspace, where he spends eight to 10 hours daily. Devoted as he is to his work, he enjoys taking a break to talk to his drop-in company and share his story.
Sitka grew up in Southern Turkey, right next to clear blue Mediterranean waters and colorful trees — to which he attributes his use of vibrant colors. After high school, he went to the U.K. to study what he knew to be his destiny.
“Before even elementary school I think I was already an artist. Everybody knew me in town, “they’d say ‘he is going to be an artist,’” Sitka said in an interview with The Harvard Crimson.
After some language immersion — during which he couldn’t help but embrace his creativity by designing posters for some international events his group of friends hosted — he went on to a foundation year at Banbury School of Art. There, his talent was immediately recognized, something that gave him confidence and allowed him to grow as an artist — he was no longer intimidated by drawing freehand or experimenting with color.
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Sitka went on to fearlessly explore different media of art — including graphics, photography, and painting — while furthering his education at Oxford, Croydon College, and St. Martin’s College, where he got a master’s degree in museum research, printed textiles, and fashion illustration.
“And all the English friends, they went to pubs and I went to the class. So I learned better and became a better artist,” Sitka said.
At first, it was textiles that won him over, partially because of the unique nature of fashion as both a necessity and an artform — and also because he thought it was time for him to work and make a living.
He eventually found himself in New York, where he went from working in the home furnishing industry to working on Oscar de la Renta scarves and designing Ralph Lauren prints as a freelancer for over 20 years.
Sitka worked in the center of his office, creating the iconic prints associated with the Ralph Lauren brand.
“I worked right in the middle of almost everyone,” Sitka said. “All the models, famous people they walked by.”
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While he has moved on from textiles and Ralph Lauren, his legacy still lives on: Stylish, confident women all over the world roam the streets wearing Sitka’s creations, and he comes face to face with them in the most unexpected moments.
“You know, I'm so proud. I see it sometimes in the street,” Sitka said. He described a moment from a trip to Spain. He was talking to some friends when a woman caught his eye in a cafe. “This woman is walking by with my print on, which was Ralph Lauren.” He said that it was actually influenced by the Moroccan tiles. “So she was wearing the print, and they were like, laughing.”
From textiles — which he considers to be a necessity — he has now devoted himself to creating luxury in the form of valuable art, which he shares with the world. While his canvases portraying Boston’s red brick buildings, colorful skyscrapers, and flowers take up most of his Gallery’s space, they are just a small sample of Sitka’s work, which encompasses a broad range of versatile art. He has painted mannequins, facemasks, pillows — he even created a project that allowed blind people to experience his art in collaboration with an organization that trains service dogs.
All of these projects that fulfill his desire for creativity are based on his deep research into the work of other artists. Sitka constantly looks for inspiration and pays close attention to artists’ brushstrokes and the positioning of different colors. Having taken in all the information, he thinks about his art constantly.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about my art. It is a 24 hour project,” Sitka said. “I eat, sleep and think about it. I study it on my phone, I take pictures as I'm painting. I go back and forth with color, how I should, you know, compromise.”
Sitka enters a zone where he is completely focused on his work, his mind and soul entering a different place. That is when Sitka can see the next brushstroke in front of him.
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All this passion, talent, and creative energy are dispersed into the atmosphere of the Sitka Home Art Gallery on Newbury Street, which is owned by his wife, Helaine, a fellow artist who is an expert on details according to Sitka. This gallery is more than just the home of Sitka’s art: It is a dream come true for him.
“37-38 years ago, the first time I came here, Helaine — she's from Boston — took me to Newbury Street,” Sitka said. “And I would walk in and see all the art galleries and I turned around and I said to her: ‘I wish I could have one painting in one of the galleries.’ 35 years later, here I am. I have my own gallery.”
Sitka continues to create and he continues to dream. His art is not simply decorative; he wants it to be seen as collectible art that could one day be in an art museum.
“I mean, just imagine my painting in a museum. I will be sleeping there for a month,” Sitka said, laughing.
In giving advice to new artists, Sitka is brief: “Go to Europe” and “earn the title ‘Artist.’”
Sitka, always bold and playing by his own rules, is working towards his dream after building his dream gallery. Now he urges young artists to be original and confident when holding their brush.
