Artist Statement
Yana Slutskaya The Artist
The world around us is amazingly beautiful and fascinating, with an endless potential to see its magic and wonder. My paintings are an emotional gateway for me. Part of a visual journey that fulfills my desire to rediscover the world’s beauty by depicting its nature scenes. My personal travels and outdoor observations are a major influence in my paintings as I use my own interpretations of the beauty I see.
I prefer working in my studio where I use my own photographs, life experience, and inspirational research as a reference for developing my works. I predominantly enjoy creating dramatic landscapes and non-figurative compositions. Colorful sunsets, ocean storms, turbulent clouds, vast desert lands, fields of flowers, iridescent northern lights, and mysterious celestial space themes are my primary artistic choices.
I use bold and vibrant colors, sometimes straight out of paint tubes. I work primarily in acrylics on canvas. I greatly enjoy this fast-drying medium that gives me a large amount of versatility. I like experimenting with the methods in which I apply paint on canvas. The most exciting one is putting colors directly on my fingertips, with its smooth sensation and ability to mix pigments directly on the canvas.
My paintings are an emotional gateway for me. Part of a visual journey that fulfills my desire to rediscover the world’s beauty by depicting its nature scenes.
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In my works I pay close attention to the details. Sometimes by adding one tiny star to the evening sky which can make a huge impact to the entire representation of the image.
I believe that we are all part of one wonderful universe, and my desire to create and share the beauty I see gives me energy and fulfillment. It is greatly rewarding to see someone take a moment and reflect on the piece of art I have created.
Brushes and pallet knives are my other favorite tools. In some of my works I choose to create smooth blending colors, adding one layer at a time. For others, I may use a dry brush (not dipped in water) loaded with paint to create textured strokes or by adding more character with the pallet knife, almost the way you put a frosting on the cake.