STORY BEHIND THE ART OF SVETLANA LANSE

24th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and Marin Art and Garden Center

The Light of the Evening

Papaver orientale

There are two things I most like to paint. The first is a dried plant, lit from behind by the sun. The second is a flower or fruit with a bloom—tulips, plums, grapes, persimmons … and this Papaver orientale has both features.

A poppy seed head has a beautiful silver hue. And a withered leaf with a beautiful pattern of veins. My “model” resembles an old, but still mighty king. A head with a crown and a developing golden cloak. I named the painting “the light of the evening,” because both a man and a plant can be beautiful in maturity.

I decided to use the oil on paper technique we learned at the Higher School of Folk Arts (Academy) in St. Petersburg. But I worked with it in the way I work with watercolor: using only transparent colors in very thin layers. Each layer dried well. This technique allows me to depict even the smallest details.

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Read more about this artist's work: 22nd Annual