Paola Minekov

In these paintings I often use theatrical lighting even though I rarely define the stage. Painting with a knife, I use colour rather than line to create three-dimensional spaces and a sense of movement and light.

This technique is essential to all my oil paintings, including the portraits. It allows me to determine directions, achieve complexity of colour and create textures which work with the form, all the while keeping the freedom in the painting and a uniform colour scheme.

Art Review:

“Great bold strokes uncover composite figures, enveloped in the soft light of the stage. The figure here is just a silhouette, without outlines, and the stroke of colour alone creates the form. The soft gentle tones impart an almost physical sense of light, dispersing and contrasting in the ballet costumes.”