Attaining a personal style that makes your work identifiable as yours is something every artist must ultimately pursue. What is meant by style, and how does one go about developing a uniquely recognizable way of painting? Is it innate, or something that comes about through experiences and the teachers we study with.? We interviewed Nina Fritz, Jack Pardue, and Aapo Pukk, three artists who exhibit unique styles in portraiture.

 

Aapo Pukk was reared in and now lives in Estonia, formerly of the U.S.S.R. His mother taught at the Tartu Children’s Art School, and his father, at the Estonian Art Academy. Aapo attended both of these schools. HE had access to art history books and he learned about traditional art through his teachers’ lectures. Unfortunately, his instructors rarely demonstrated, so he took it upon himself to experiment with his materials.

 

            “When I was eleven,” says Aapo, “I already had a conscious desire to experiment with my brushes and paint. One day at the Children’s Art School, I decided to paint a still life in watercolor with deliberate brush strokes. My teacher commented that I was painting similarly to a student whom she knew at the Art University. Going my own way and trying new things excited me and motivated me to learn more.”

 

            About ten years ago, Aapo began to recognize himself as a portrait painter. While visiting Finland and taking part in a cultural arts event, an artist friend encouraged Aapo to try painting quick portraits while there. “At first, I wanted to get a strong likeness in a short period of time. I loved the immediacy of painting from life – having the subject right in front of me. Each portrait was totally new and separate experience for me.”

 

            Aapo has always had a desire to experiment with painting techniques and composition. He enjoys letting the subject determine his approach to each painting. Aapo says, “Because I’m painting a real, live person who has character and soul, I use color, paint texture, and composition to communicate the essence of that person the viewer.”

 

            Aapo Pukk’s paintings and commissioned portraits hang in public art collections in eleven countries. Among his portrait patrons are Mart Laar, the prime minister of Estonia; Estonian actress, Salme Reek; Martin Fitzgerald, founder of the Estonian Business School; Erika Salumae, winner of two cycling golds in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games; and Kiel University, Germany. Aapo Pukk’s accomplishments are too many to mention in entirety here, but one more of note is that he hosted a TV show in Estonia that featured paintings of prominent Estonians.