Gazing into artist Margo Selski’s magical paintings is looking into an old world that never existed. Her style  reminds me very much of another of my favorite artists, Anne Siems. The paintings draw you in at first glance, then intrigue makes you study them because there are so many layers, symbols and stories woven into the imagery.

In an article written by Marianne Combs, Minnesota Public Radio, Selski said she wants to lure people to the paintings with playful images and a balanced composition. Then as they continue to stare, they begin to comprehend and explore the uneasy nature of this world.

In many of  Selski’s paintings, ghostly images of characters seem to hang in the air. Selski says she’s recreating a phenomenon called “pentimento.” Old masters would sometimes change their minds halfway through a canvas, and paint out a character. But over time, the image would reappear.

Selski,  pictured below, says she uses images not to tell a story, but to evoke a sense of place and mystery, the same way  she approaches her life, and her art; with a desire to be both wild and in control.

You can see more of Selski’s work and her bio here.