House No. 43: Russian Izba
ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout8.5 in. x 11 in.
043/365; 02/12/11
Izbas are Russian log cabins built by peasants in the countryside. Many are ornately decorated with painted woodwork. The houses were built without saws or nails because the steel was so expensive. Instead, the logs were notched with a hand axe and fit together. Ornamentation was whittled by knife.
Some izbas, called chicken leg izbas, are built on stilts. These are the inspiration for the magical house lived in by Baba Yaga, the witch of lore from Eastern Europe. I love these stories and the imagery that they conjure up. The tales may find their way into some illustrations quite soon ...
It is like a fairy tale house!
ReplyDeleteI adore the Baba Yaga myth, and feel really drawn to the work that a friend of mine does that is inspired by Baby Yaga and the idea of the crone in general. These are two of my favorites from her work:
ReplyDeletehttp://annagoldenart.blogspot.com/2010/08/acrylic-and-mixed-media-on-wood.html
http://annagoldenart.blogspot.com/2010/01/grandmother-2010-cyanotype-and-acrylic.html#comments
I hope you follow your own Baba Yaga inspiration, I know I'd love to see it!
love it! you are highly talented, my friend. something tells me that eventually you will have an entire alphabet with this particular format/theme, yes? keep it up, stay strong!
ReplyDeleteok, duh, I found the alphabet page. super cool!
ReplyDelete