Matters

By Victoria Zyluk

In every brushstroke, we carry echoes—not only of our own hands, but of those who painted before us. I often think of painting as a house with many doors. Some open to light-drenched gardens, others to stormy skies or quiet interiors. To grow as artists, we must walk through more than one.

When I first began painting, I was drawn to the softness of Monet’s light, the way he let atmosphere breathe between the trees. Later, I found myself captivated by Van Gogh’s emotional urgency—his skies that swirl and ache. And then Picasso, who shattered form and rebuilt it with daring clarity. Each artist offered not just a technique, but a way of seeing.

🧭 Why Study More Than One Style?

It’s tempting to find a comfort zone and stay there. But the truth is, our creative voice is shaped by what we feed it. Studying a variety of artists—across time, culture, and movement—expands our visual vocabulary. It teaches us:

• New ways to solve problems: How does one artist handle water? Another, the human form? A third, abstraction?

• Permission to evolve: Artists like Picasso and Georgia O’Keeffe didn’t stay in one lane. They shifted, experimented, and followed curiosity.

• A deeper sense of self: Ironically, the more we explore others’ voices, the more clearly we hear our own.

🖌️ Technique as a Living Language

I often tell my students: technique is not a cage, it’s a key.

Learning realism sharpens observation. Studying impressionism teaches atmosphere. Exploring abstraction frees gesture. Each style adds a tool to your kit—not to mimic, but to transform.

When I paint, I might borrow Monet’s softness for a sky, Van Gogh’s rhythm for a field, or a hint of cubist structure to anchor a composition. These are not imitations; they are conversations.

🌱 The Artist as a Garden

Think of your practice as a garden. If you only plant one seed, you’ll get one kind of bloom. But if you study many artists—if you let yourself be surprised, challenged, even confused—you’ll grow a richer, wilder, more resilient creative life.

So read the brushwork of the masters. Try a palette you’ve never touched. Paint a subject you think you “can’t.” The doors are waiting.

With paint on my hands and gratitude in my heart, Victoria