Artist Statement

While paintings and drawings do not make sounds, there is a great deal of storytelling in visual art. I craft stories through my artwork.

My latest body of work explores the human condition and the emotions that are manifested through folklore characters: pain, happiness, greed and anger. The anthropomorphic forms in my drawings are fueled by rich Slavic mythology. I chose these particular subjects because of the comfort of nostalgia and the deep introspection that they provide me with. I am inspired by the complexity of human nature as revealed in tales that are passed from generation to generation.

There is a rhythm similar to that in music that is present in my work in the form of repetitive patterns. I intentionally utilize a limited palette of bold flat colors to draw attention to the movement and heartbeat of the story. My compositions make the viewer look beyond the surface, beyond the form.

I activate negative space, which enables me to use paper as the primary material for my narrative. I want to entice the viewers to “read” though the brush strokes and between the lines and to see the blank paper full of messages guided by their imagination.