Ducklings. Petrikovsky painting

Traditional folk art Petrikovsky painting
Elena Skitsyuk (ukr. Olena Skytsiuk) is a famous Ukrainian artist working in the genre of Petrikovsky painting. This folk art originates in a small Ukrainian village of Petrikovka. In particular, each painting consists of thousands of small strokes. Brushes used for these paintings are themselves unique, handmade of cat hair (without any damage or injury to animals). Elena Skytsiuk (born 16 January 1950) is one of the few artists who keeps this dying art alive. A member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine since 1978, she graduated from the Lvov State Institute of Decorative and Applied Arts (Department of artistic ceramics). In 1967 she took part in the exhibition, and now her work can be found in many countries around the world.
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Painting by Belgian wildlife artist Carl Brenders – Acherontia atropos. Butterfly symbolism

Butterfly symbolism
Noteworthy, butterfly is a symbol of the soul, immortality, rebirth and resurrection. Traditionally, people saw in this insect the ability to convert, to transform, as the winged celestial being is born, transforming from the mundane caterpillars. Besides, butterfly is a symbol of the Great Goddess (the Great Mother, Magna Mater). And the image of the Great Goddess goes back to the earliest times of human history, to the Paleolithic. This is the supreme deity personified both heaven and earth, life and death. Also, with the Great Goddess associated birds and flying insects. One of the insects, representing the goddess, was a butterfly.
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Self Portrait, 1790, Uffizi, Florence. French painter Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (16 April 1755 – 30 March 1842)

French painter Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun
Known as Madame Lebrun, Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun worked at a time when the Academy of Arts didn’t recognize women artists and male counterparts openly despised them. Despite this, the frail lady was not only successful, but earned fortune on her paintings. Also, she was a favorite portrait painter to Marie Antoinette.
Meanwhile, among other staunch royalists Vigee Le Brun immigrated to Russia in 1795, and earned a special attitude of Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna. With intelligence, talent, and ability to subtly flatter the model, the artist has enjoyed great fame and became the darling of St. Petersburg society.
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Her horizon seemed to her limitless. Stitched painting by Michelle Kingdom

Stitched painting by Michelle Kingdom
According to Michelle Kingdom, all her life she was engaged in drawings, textile pieces, paintings and photography. Working in other mediums for many years, she became known for her textile artwork, which she created to herself.
Michelle Kingdom considered her embroideries to be a very private form of art that she kept to herself for many years. Any stitched painting by Michelle Kingdom begins with an idea, a sketch, or a photograph, then follows thinking, researching and planning. Right now Michelle is working on a large scale embroidery project, which consists of multiple miniature vignettes strung together. The artwork is inspired by Edvard Munch’s painting “The Dance of Life.”
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Beautiful ladies in a boat. Figurative painter Valeria Kotsareva

Figurative painter Valeria Kotsareva
Born in Moscow in 1969, Valeria Kotsareva grew up in the artistic family – her father was an artist and designer, and her elder sister was also an artist. And she later became a real muse and a model for Valeria’s paintings.
Kotsareva graduated from the Moscow Art School, and in 1996 – from the State institute of Cinematography of USSR (specialty – decorative design of clothes). She is a member of Union of artists of Russia, the International Art Fund, and the International Association of Artists of UNESCO.
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Outskirt of Moscow. Sunset. Acrylic yarn, hand embroidery by Andrey Kortovich. 2011

Embroidery by Andrey Kortovich
Born November 23, 1979 in Moscow, Andrey Kortovich grew up in the family of artists. His father Vladimir, mother Nina, and grandfather Vasily are artists. Andrey graduated from the Moscow State University of Printing, Faculty of Art and Technical design of printed materials in 2001. His teachers were A.V. Vasnetsov, A.M. Bugakov, N.A. Pavlov, A.A. Semenov. Heridatory artist, Andrey Kortovich works in different art directions, including Painting, Graphics, Embroidery and Decorative Arts. His works are in museums of Yaroslavl, Vologda, Arkhangelsk, private collections in Russia and Serbia. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Moscow Union of Artists.
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Walking with cat. Winter painting by Natalia Syuzeva, Russian artist

Winter painting by Natalia Syuzeva
Born in 1965 in Penza, Natalia Syuzeva is a talented Russian artist, who studied at the Penza Art College (1980 – 1984). After graduation she lived in Riga, Latvia, where she studied graphics courses at the Latvian Academy of Arts. From 1990 to 1993 she lived in the Siberian city of Tomsk. During this period, actively worked with her husband, Sergei Syuzev in the poster genre. Admitted to the Union of Artists of Russia as a poster artist in 1993. Meanwhile, in 1994 Natalia Syuzeva again returned to Penza, where she lives and works now.
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