Hey! So nice to speak with you! Can you tell our readers a little bit more about yourself? Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
My name is Victor Selin. I was born in Belarus, and I now live and work in Austin, Texas. I’m trained in materials science and I run NoirGold.ART, creating gold leaf artworks on deep black surfaces that combine geometric structure with a very personal handwritten language.
Tell us one thing you love about where you live now?
What I love about Austin is how genuinely supportive people are. If you show up with real commitment and put in the work, the city responds. I see it at every level, from building relationships with suppliers, to friends helping behind the scenes, to frame shops, galleries, and other local businesses that make it easier to keep moving forward.
Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?
NoirGold.ART creates original, luxury fine art built around a simple idea: gold leaf on deep black with strong structure and a personal signature. It started as a serious studio obsession with materials, precision, and how light behaves on a surface. Over time, that focus became a consistent body of work and a brand. For customers, the value is both visual and emotional. The pieces are designed to feel intentional and permanent, bold in a room, and made with a level of finish that elevates the space. Many collectors want art that reads as refined from across the room and reveals detail up close, something that carries presence without noise.
If someone wants to start a business, what's advice that will help them?
Start with consistency, not perfection. Pick a clear lane, build a small set of offers you can deliver at a high level, and repeat until your quality and process are stable. Take feedback seriously, but do not let it dilute your identity. Relationships matter, so treat every supplier, client, and collaborator like a long-term connection. Most importantly, track what works, then do more of it with discipline.
What was one feedback from a happy customer/client that you won't forget about?
I get a version of this feedback regularly, and it always stays with me. Customers send photos of the artwork in their interiors and tell me it changed the room immediately, the space feels more intentional and elevated. They also mention that the piece keeps pulling them back because it shifts with the light, and it feels personal, not mass-produced.
Where do you see your company in the future?
I see NoirGold.ART growing into a studio known for collector-level gold leaf work on black with a consistent signature language. In the near future, I want to expand the scale of the work, release a few tightly curated series, and increase gallery and exhibition presence. Longer term, my focus is building a brand that is recognizable for precision, craftsmanship, and permanence, with a small body of work that stays coherent while I keep experimenting and pushing the material.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry?
A common misconception is that gold leaf is just a visual effect, and that it must be easy because it looks simple from a distance. In reality, it’s a real material with real behavior, and it’s unforgiving. Small mistakes show immediately, so the craft is in making the surface look effortless while keeping the result precise and durable.
What has been one of your biggest struggle building your business and how did you deal with it?
One of my biggest struggles has been that this kind of work is still a frontier. I have to research and test at almost every step, instead of relying on a standard playbook. Some parts are universal, organization, communication, presentation, but other parts require real experimentation and material testing. Time is always the constraint, especially because I’m building it largely on my own. I deal with it by treating the business like an ongoing research project: documenting what works, building repeatable processes, and improving one controlled variable at a time.
What was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?
Growing up, Depeche Mode was my favorite, I respected how boldly they evolved across different eras. For sports, I was drawn to judo for its discipline and precision, and I followed Natik Bagirov for that same calm control under pressure.
Any shoutouts you want to make?
Shoutout to my artist friends, the gallery community, and everyone who has helped me develop and evolve. I’m grateful for the support that makes it possible to keep bringing more gold and beauty into our lives.
