Martin Lawrence Galleries

Liudmila Kondakova’s first childhood memories were all bright color: reds, blues, greens, yellows, and whites. She recalls that her first persistent question to the adults around her was “What color is this”? Painting absorbs Kondakova’s whole being. If she is not painting, she is thinking about her current or future projects. Days when she does not work, she considers lost. Liudmila Kondakova painted with egg tempera for many years. It is an unforgiving technique. If you make a mistake, you have to start over. Through this process, she learned planning and discipline, and she uses those skills to create highly detailed paintings of her favorite cities, places, and spaces.  She starts painting from the farthest background area, and she works forward. From the darkest parts of the painting to the lightest, as if she is bringing her composition from darkness to light. Paris is a city that Kondakova has portrayed time and again in her work, and its architecture has inspired many of her works.

In “Champagne and Strawberries” we are once again shown Liudmila Kondakova’s talent for detail, and her love for Paris. An idyllically Parisian scene is brought through the romantic’s eye. A simple celebration from what looks to be a typical Parisian café with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop. The clear skies in the artwork are indicative of Kondakova’s seasonal nod. The clear blue skies with the green trees below a clear sign of spring. The elements in the artwork are so rich in color and texture that it urges you to celebrate with art, and with Paris. “Champagne and Strawberries” is a 16 x 10 – inch, hand-signed archival print with hand-made serigraph texture plates.