K is for Kandinsky

Inspired by Kandinsky  Tempered Elan 1944

One of the very best parts of my life as an artist is the classes I take. I have often raved about my wonderful teacher, Illa Guttman, and her outstanding Dynamic Abstracts classes, all rooted in art history. Each class is an opportunity to be introduced to another abstract artist, analyze his or her work, and take inspiration from the artist to create our own work.

I tend to fall in love a lot in these classes, meeting old favorites and discovering new ones. But it was Moscow born Vassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) who stole my heart. His use of color, his imaginative shapes, his vivid use of line, the way he works within a flat plane, and so much more, all  resonate with my own Russian roots.

This painting (18x24 acrylic on canvas) was done in class, inspired by a work called Tempered Elan. The flowing shape reminds me of the gorgeous Russian embroidery I so admire, and the little bird shape recalls a Matryoshka (those brightly colored nesting dolls) for me. The colors and the pattern are my own, but the freedom to paint this free flowing shape is pure Kandinsky.

To learn more about this artist, and see images of his work, visit this site Kandinsky