Monday 17 November 2014

Dance party for one...

Inspired by the magical and the melancholic, Russian born artist and illustrator, Yelena Bryksenkova is someone you need to know about.


Her illustrations of forest maidens, dance parties for one, and magical characters are whimsical and enchanting, without being overtly saccharine. Her exploration of the hidden, the quiet and the melancholic draws you into her imagined worlds.


Richly textured and layered in pattern and content, they often feature lanky, bohemian girls and document their beautiful daily adventures.  I often feel like I've been in the apartments and homes of these women, they resonate with me and feel like safe spaces where I'd share a secret or two over some mulled wine with a girlfriend.


Her multiple inspirations are described on her website:



 


"The art and literature of Russia's silver age has been a tremendous influence on me; the world of art movement, Diaghilev's ballets Russes. Indian miniature painting, Pre-Raphaelite photography, folk art. for inspiration I often look to the work of Serov, Sargent, Renoir, Vuillard, Matisse; I will never get tired of paintings of quiet repose, everyday moments. women brushing their hair, reading, arranging flowers, drinking tea, lost in their private thoughts and surrounded by cherished objects. stylistically, the way I draw people was most likely shaped by studying the work of J.W. Waterhouse and Edward Gorey, as well as fashion illustrations from the 1920s. reading Haruki Murakami and Alain de Botton has shaped the way I perceive the world and informed my work. so many things...I'm always living under the spell of something or other."





Perhaps it's the grey snowy weather over the last couple of days, but I've been looking at my pinned prints that I'm wanting to collect for my place, and really thinking about gathering a few things, my Icelandic wool blanket, a pot of green tea, a book I've been putting off too long, and some new art to hang over the long winter to come.  Her work can be purchased on Etsy, and you can learn more about her work on her blog.





reading (print)




iceland (print)




bedroom (print)




love spell (print)




alice (print)




dance party for one (print)




















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