An Ensemble of Color
Artwork Description
Creating An Ensemble of Colour has been one of the most rewarding projects that I have worked on to date. It is the largest single image that I have ever produced, featuring a glimpse of the magnificent wardrobe that has been worn by the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dancers over 40 years.
An Ensemble of Colour not only captures the regional and thematic variations of the costumes it traces the history and the evolution of Ukrainian dance costuming. From individualized, hand embroidered authentic clothing to factory produced theatrical costuming we can see how the dance apparel evolved over time.
The task of actually painting the 8 panels that make up the full image, was a labour of love. I was compelled to portray the wardrobe as accurately as possible, matching colours and including almost every stitch of embroidery. The intense period of concentrated brush strokes was well rewarded when upon unveiling, a dancer complimented the piece by stating “you could even smell the boots’ – I knew the painting had come to life. ~ Larisa
