Ballet (2026)

A lot of titles came to mind for this painting, but I was afraid of influencing your interpretation! So I stayed as neutral as possible. The process of creating this painting took forever! The original goal was to put a fresh spin on the timeless sugar shack landscape. You know those magnificent paintings where you can really tell how masterfully the artist has mastered their technique… but where nothing ever happens! Well, there you have it—in trying to reinvent the concept, I got carried away. I piled up the sketches! I was looking for an idea—absurd or not—to clash with the overly classic feel of the landscape. Suspicious footprints in the snow, yetis, giants, showdowns, robots… One thing led to another, and I lost control. A ballerina appeared. The barn disappeared, then the trees, the wooden fences. Buildings appeared in the distance. And gradually, the simple ballerina began to look like a cyborg. The simple town in the distance took on a post-apocalyptic feel. That said, the snow and the calm remained. I didn’t want this painting to become dark under any circumstances; it was important to preserve the contrast between the disaster and the dancer’s inner peace. She’s one of the characters I’ve had the most fun painting. I almost envied her—in her own little bubble, relaxed, with no one to answer to.