Find the funny side of drama with Estonian artist Liisa Kruusmägi’s textured paintings

Estonian artist and illustrator Liisa Kruusmägi brings drama and comedy together in her work, cultivating depth and texture in both content and style.

Working mostly on paintings and drawings, the artist says she likes to “depict life in a funny and absurd way”, while touching on “deep topics” too. She states that she enjoys putting drastically different colours together in the same work and using a mix of materials.

Also particularly noticeable when viewing her work is the way Kruusmägi layers brushstrokes or pencil marks, creating rich textures and adding depth — a style that echoes the pertinent topics belying the seemingly humorous images.