The Still Life: who inspires me to create….

Ludmilla Skripchenko.

While scrolling around on the internet one day, I stumbled upon a remarkable Russian artist named Ludmilla Skripchenko.  All I could find out about her was that she was living in the Crimea region of what was once Ukraine so my interest was piqued.  Her still life paintings were what really captured my attention.  I was drawn to how she represented glass in a cubist still with vivid, graded colors that gave the impression of stained glass.

I often times find other artists to inspire my own work.  When I find their images, I use the old school method of doing an homage (or copy) of their work.  It is such an interesting process to examine the art through the process of reproducing it.  It never fails that as I work I notice more and more detail and technique that I didn’t pick up at first glance.  Composition choices, value choices, edge lines and treatment of the transparent….I’m always left in awe of other artists and their dedication.

I do this exercise to not only appreciate how another artist sees the world, but to see how their vision changes my own.  It’s like a good conversation where at the end, you are left understanding the topic in a new way or just a little deeper than before.  We live in a community here on this planet and I find myself in the community of artists.  Finding artists who you admire and then studying their work is our way of communicating our ideas back and forth.  It widens my knowledge of the process, the thoughts and the joy of others in my tribe!

Journal Prompt:

Is there an artist who you have always been drawn to?  Do an internet search of their work and study their color choice, their shapes, their attention to detail or their disinterest in detail?  Do they paint in an abstract fashion or as a realist?  Why do you think you are drawn to this artist? 

Do a simple sketch of a favorite work of art in the blank page of your journal.  Maybe it’s just a small section.  What does it teach you….

Hugs to you all
—Marilee

P.S. I painted the image above as a study of a complex Ludmilla still life. See my step by step instruction for how to create your own Ludmilla Still Life in the How to…section of the journal coming soon.

Buy my Creativity Journal on Amazon and fill your book with all ten projects! There is space for journaling, ideation and to create the final project. The QR code in the book links you to the journal so you can take it with you and be creative anywhere you go. You just need a pen, curiosity and joyful effort!!