During the first two years, without money or studio, I painted in gouaches on ordinary paper and supported myself by working as a night watchman.
During the day I studied Hebrew in a religious studies centre ("yeshiva").  It was there that I understood that the words of my master, Ossip Sidlin, referred to the first six days in Genesis, with a different means of expression.  The new words I learned gave me a better understanding of my own heritage.
After several one-man exhibitions, I was awarded the "Jerusalem Artist Prize."  In 1986, I also received a studio, for seven months, at the Cite des Arts in Paris.  At first, I felt well; Paris resembled St. Petersburg and I rediscovered my friends from Russia.  But as soon as I settled in France, I felt that the "School of Paris" was a thing of the past and I returned to Jerusalem with the intention of protecting my independence.
The travels and researches gave me a new freedom and the opportunity to meet painters who shared my preoccupations.  It is with them that I was finally able to form the group called "Jerusalmix".  Because the participating painters originate in different cultures and have different artistic horizons, we could not call ourselves the "School of Jerusalem."  Our group chose to keep the attainments of each member's place of origin, as vitalisers of their respective natures and intuitions. 

Anatoly Basin