-By Jesper Ejsing

Live demo painting an Orcish Fella

I just came back from Russia. It was a fantastic trip.

I did a speech and a demo painting at the Artillery Event in Saint-Petersburg and had the chance to go to the Russian State Museum. I knew there was going to be some paintings by Ilya Repin and some by Shishkin, and I already had a couple of napkins ready for the inevitable tears of inadequacy when standing in front of these masterpieces. But nothing had prepared me for Henryk Siemiradzki. Seeing the huge paintings they had in the museum I vaguely remember seeing a little picture of one of them in a book about the Danish painter Krøyer where they mention Henryk as an inspiration, but boy oh boy was this crazy. I have never seen anything looking so effortlessly painted before. It is cool and almost modern illustration in a giant format.

As I understand the guy was polish and from the little I can read of the Russian book I got about him, most of the paintings are in Warsaw, Polan. Sooooo… I am going to go on a little trip next month I think just to see some more of this fantastic painter.

Also I promise, from now on to use more dappled light.

Repins Turkish Sultan letter