If you take a walk along the small streets of central Sofia around Vitosha Boulevard, you may come across the cozy Melon Gallery whose walls are currently decorated with the abstract works of Stefan Todorov.

The gallery, at 45 Tsar Assen Street, decided to open the new season on September 18 with an exhibition of paintings on silk.

At first sight, the 13 works give the impression of illustrations for a fantasy book. The images inhabiting the canvases resemble characters of some other time and space. Todorov's abstract paintings are saturated with the brightest nuances of red, yellow and blue.

None of the works has a name, which was a conscious decision by the artist. "There are no names so that everybody can find something for themselves in the works without being distracted by a particular message," Todorov explained.

In addition to bright colours, the works are also saturated with symbols which, according to the artist, interact in different ways depending on the shape and colour. "The whole exhibition presents a positive emotion which aims at provoking something different in the minds of the viewers," said Todorov, shedding light on his artistic goal. He added that he had used bright colours deliberately because they are more active. "I love bright colours because they are the colours of life. These colours make things more dynamic and the works are more expressive."

Todorov did not follow the general trend of first going to an art high school and then graduating from the National Academy of Art in Sofia. Even though he comes from a family of artists and architects, he actually studied physics and mathematics. His heart, however, has been devoted to art since he was only six years old. At that time, the 24-year-old first started painting on silk. He said he has worked with this material primarily for the past 12 years.

Todorov explained that even though silk was generally a difficult material to work on, he loved it and would continue with it. He noted that the difficulty came from the fact that you cannot make corrections or paint over paint on silk. "Once you put a colour or a line on silk, it stays there," Todorov said adding that he could never afford to make mistakes because he could not correct them.

"I use this material because I feel best on this material," the artist said with his eyes lighting up. "It is delicate and goes perfectly well with my style of painting."

Todorov spends, on average, a week to finish one work but it really depends on his mood.

The exhibit at Melon Gallery is Todorov's 10th solo exhibition.

In his artistic career he has won a number of national and seven international awards. "They decorate my home," he said with a wink. The awards make him happy because they were a kind of appreciation for his work.

His most precious award was the one he received in Morocco in 1999. It was given to him for developing an element of Moroccan folklore. "I first went to Morocco in 1998 to participate in an exhibition there," Todorov explained, "and had the chance to travel around the country and get to know their folklore." The next year he participated in an art contest with a painting on silk which impressed the jury and they gave him the top award.

Most of the works in the exhibition have been made this year. There are older paintings too, which have not been shown before but are in harmony with the rest of the works.

Todorov's paintings on silk can be bought at prices of between 600 and 1,100 leva. They will be on display until October 8.