- Structure and shape can be the building blocks of any great work of art, however the composition does not always have to be representational. :
Our Head of Art Luke Baker recently had the privilege to sit down with Little Van Gogh artist Evgenia Makarova, where they discussed how her approach to painting is very fluid with no fixed goal in mind. For Evgenia It’s less about achieving something and more about staying within the process.
Where do you find inspiration?
I don’t really use the word inspiration. Most of the time, it begins with an urge
to paint rather than with an idea. Music can influence the mood or direction, but not the impulse itself — that seems to come from somewhere else. Perhaps that’s why abstraction, for me, feels closer to sound: it emerges from a similar place, something immediate and difficult to define.
How has your practice changed over time?
I think I understand myself better through my work now. Painting has become a
way of observing my own patterns — a way of thinking. If the work is honest, it inevitably reflects your personality. At the same time, the process remains open. When you begin, you don’t know where it will lead, and that uncertainty is part of what keeps it engaging.
Who are your biggest artistic influences?
It’s difficult for me to isolate specific names. Influence feels more like a field
than something that can be traced back to one or two artists. I’m more interested in certain ways of working or thinking — particularly those that allow ambiguity and instability to remain present in the work.
Colourful Resonance 1
Colourful Resonance 2
What’s the purpose or goal of your work?
I don’t approach my work with a fixed goal. It’s less about achieving something and more about staying within the process — allowing things to emerge, shift, or even contradict themselves. For me, painting is not a project with a defined outcome, but an ongoing way of working through perception and experience.
Does creating art help you in any other areas of your life?
I wouldn’t separate it into different areas. Art is not something external to my life — it’s part of how I exist and understand myself. It gives a sense of completeness, as one of the ways I can be present in the world.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
I don’t think I follow advice very easily. I tend to question it, especially in relation to the creative process. What matters more to me is developing a sense of trust in my own decisions — even when they might not be right.