Artist Lucy Klimenko talks about her artwork ‘Talent’
The Talent is my recent work. The painting was inspired by a little boy who learnt to play the guitar by himself and become amazingly good at it. His friends as well as grown-ups gather to listen to him playing. He lives in a small village in my home country and doesn’t think much about “equal opportunities” or how unfortunate he is to grow up in a poor family in a country under the constant threat of war. He just has this beautiful world inside him and he shares it with others, even though the reality around him is not that inspiring. In fact it is dangerous and scary for a child of his age.
I caught myself thinking that the guys like him give courage and inspiration to others in difficult times, eventually making the desert flower. The hands of a grown up collecting drops of water represent the care of his parents and teachers, as well as his friends and listeners, everybody who is sensitive to the beauty of his music. I am not that good at writing about it, I am afraid.
As to the process, it took me over two months to take the piece from emotion to the finely tuned painting conveying it. I started with the pencil sketch of a boy, gradually surrounding him with the composition as I was thinking of it. The first concept was not that great and too busy, but eventually I’ve distilled it to a clearer message that has visual impact and energy I was hoping to achieve. I guess I can share some of my later, less embarrassing sketches of it if of interest.
View more artwork by Lucy Klimenko
