Intro…
Written by Lilia Larcos
Where Ideas Begin: The Creative World of Lilia Larcos
What makes an artist stop and look?
Sometimes it is a face. Sometimes an unexpected gesture, a beautiful colour combination or a moment that would otherwise pass unnoticed. For contemporary artist Lilia Larcos, inspiration can come from almost anywhere, a walk down the street, a piece of music, an opera, theatre, fashion, wildlife or simply seeing an interesting relationship between people and animals. Her paintings begin with an idea. Not necessarily a fully formed image, but a thought that makes her curious enough to explore it.
“I’m always observing,” says Larcos. “I might see a man walking his dog and think about the relationship between them, or notice something about the way the dog carries itself. Then I start imagining what would happen if I pushed that idea further.”
That instinct to play with what she sees is at the heart of her practice.
An Ordinary Moment Can Become Something Unexpected
Larcos is particularly interested in contrasts. Strength and vulnerability. Elegance and absurdity. Menace and tenderness. Human sophistication and animal instinct. A seemingly ordinary observation can therefore become the starting point for something completely different.
A dog walking beside a stylish man might inspire her to imagine the dog as equally fashionable. A fierce animal might be placed beside something unexpectedly delicate. A subject associated with danger might be given an element of sweetness. It is this tension between opposites that gives many of her paintings their distinctive character.
“I like the unexpected,” Larcos explains. “I like taking two things that don’t immediately belong together and seeing what happens when you put them in the same image.”
The result is often playful, but there is always a deliberate thought behind it.
Inspiration Is Everywhere
Daily walks, music and theatre have an important place in Larcos’ visual world. She is drawn to the drama of performance, the characters, costumes, gestures and personalities and to the way a single character can communicate an entire story.
Fashion provides another source of inspiration.
Larcos is fascinated by the way clothing can transform personality. An outfit can make an animal appear sophisticated, rebellious, glamorous or completely absurd. It becomes another way of giving the subject an identity. But inspiration does not necessarily arrive while she is sitting in front of a blank canvas. It can happen anywhere. An observation is stored away. An idea develops. Sometimes it stays in her mind for days before she knows exactly what she wants to do with it.
From Idea to Reference
Once an idea has taken hold, Larcos begins researching. She searches for images that can help her understand the animal, figure, pose, expression, clothing or particular detail she needs. She may look at several different references rather than relying on a single photograph.
This stage is about finding the ingredients. The final painting is not simply a reproduction of one reference image. Larcos brings together different visual elements and reinterprets them through her own composition, colour and painting style.
Her background in graphic design naturally influences this way of thinking. She considers how the elements sit together, where the eye travels through the image, what needs emphasis and what can be removed. The image has to work as a whole.
The Painting Changes the Idea
Once she begins painting, the original idea continues to evolve.This is where the physical process becomes important.
Working primarily in acrylic on canvas, Larcos builds the painting through layers of colour and detail. The brushwork, texture and decisions made directly on the canvas introduce something that could not have existed in the original concept.
She particularly enjoys the stage when the personality of the subject begins to emerge. An expression changes, the eyes become more alive, a particular detail suddenly gives the animal attitude. And gradually, what began as an idea becomes a character.
The Details Matter
For Larcos, the smallest details can change the entire feeling of a painting.The eyes are often crucial. So is posture, expression and the relationship between one subject and another.
A fierce animal can suddenly appear gentle, a sweet subject can acquire attitude, a seemingly elegant scene can contain a touch of humour. These shifts are intentional. They invite the viewer to look twice. And that is something Larcos actively wants. Her work often creates an immediate visual reaction before revealing the more subtle relationship between the characters within the painting.
Playing With Perception
At the centre of Larcos’ practice is a simple fascination with perception: how quickly we form an opinion about what we see. We recognise a particular animal and already have an idea of what it represents. We see a beautifully dressed figure and make assumptions about personality.
We associate certain animals with strength, danger, innocence or loyalty. Larcos enjoys disrupting those expectations. She takes recognisable characteristics and moves them somewhere unexpected.
This is where her sense of humour enters the work, but it is never simply about making something funny. The humour becomes a way of making the viewer pause. The painting catches their attention. Then the personality keeps them looking.
The Artist’s Eye
Perhaps this is what defines Larcos’ creative process most clearly: she is constantly looking.
Looking at people. Looking at animals. Looking at fashion, movement, colour and character. And then asking herself a question: what if?
What if?
What if this animal had this personality? What if strength met sweetness? What if something dangerous became unexpectedly charming? What if an ordinary moment became theatrical?
And from that first spark, through research, experimentation and the physical act of painting, Larcos creates works that sit between reality and imagination, familiar enough to draw us in, but unexpected enough to make us look twice.
