As I was sharing insights about my new inspo, I realised that bigger pieces of artwork are much more time consuming, not to mention the amount of energy you have to put in (preparation, loads of research, figuring out the colour palette and how to connect all the elements into one cohesive story).

60x90cm pieces - work in progress:

So, I decided to expand the collection by adding smaller artwork to the series, all of them having the same main inspiration and theme. I feel like the A4 size is just perfect, not too big and not that tiny. That's how I started the painting I'm about to share more with you.

The octagon symbol is an eight-pointed star and in dacian/romanian culture is a geometric representation of the cosmos and the wheel of the sky/sun. It also can be linked to ancient solar cults, representing the live-giving energy of the sun and celestial movement. Some may believe that it can be the number 8 itself, the representation of the infinity.

Almost every painting process starts the same for a while now: prep of the canvas with gesso if needed, red or burnt sienna underpainting (sometimes both) and a rough sketch, wich in this case is the octagon. For the background, a lighter shade to leave enough room for the primary colours to be the star of the show.

As I was painting, I was falling in love with it more and more. The representation of the romanian flag was made with a palette knife, technique wich added a lot of texture to the piece and the colours are melting one into another and into the background at the same time. The pinetrees are matching perfectly the whole idea/vibe. The red details are a representation of the rosehip, very popular amongst romanians and used both in cuisine and as a natural medicine.

The center part made me stop painting because I was having too many ideas but only one circle to fill in. The "Tree Of Life" popped into my head and I knew it was "that" final detail that I was looking for. I must admit, the center is inspired by my viking art but I made it spiraled as spirals were used very often in dacian symbolism. Now, Viking and Dacians are once again connected.

I absolutely adore the silver center, it has an amazing shine from different angles! One of my unique and handcrafted rustic frames is the perfect final touch.

Read more:

Page 7 coming soon...

Please feel free to share your opinion !