BIO

I’m an abstract painter based in Philadelphia. I moved to the U.S. from Ukraine in my early 20s, and over the years, art became the way I learned to listen to myself and find my voice. I studied art and art therapy at Drexel University, which helped me better understand emotions, creative process, healing and develop my own visual language.

My work is deeply process-driven. I pay close attention to materials, texture, and movement - how paint is applied, how it settles, and how the painting changes over time. My paintings grow from memories, emotions, and landscapes I carry with me, shaped by a duality - the mess and careful mark-making, precise techniques, and occasional happy discoveries.

I create large-scale paintings where movement and stillness exist together. My hope is that the work offers a sense of rest—something you can return to, live with, and breathe alongside. I want my paintings to feel grounding and quietly present in the spaces they inhabit.

Life isn’t linear, and neither is my work. Painting helps me find peace and return to myself.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"A painting is not a picture of an experience; it is an experience." - Mark Rothko

My work is rooted in the tradition of abstract expressionism and shaped by a contemporary, almost aerial or geological sensibility. It aligns with the style of Abstract Naturalism, where forms and textures emerge from shifting landscapes—the drifting breath of clouds, the invisible force of wind, the transformative power of waves... Through this visual language, I explore the contrast of stillness and motion, light and shadow, tension and release. My paintings often feel both dynamic and still at once, embodying the paradoxes of lived experience.

As both an artist and a trained psychotherapist, my work is deeply shaped by the relationship between emotions, the psyche, and the creative process. Going through grad school and studying art and psychology opened up my mind to see beyond the artistic aesthetics. I aim to translate internal experiences into tangible forms, offering pieces that resonate deeply and invite connection, reflection, and joy.

My creative process begins with embracing chaos. Each painting starts as a deliberate mess—a raw, unfiltered exploration of textures, colors, and forms. Through this, I employ a wide range of techniques such as layering, wet-on-wet, scumbling, sgraffito, chiaroscuro, blending, etc. to layer complexity and simplicity, gradually shaping them into a dance between tension and harmony. The shapes remain open and suggestive, leaving space for the viewer’s imagination to engage and complete the experience.

Ultimately, my goal is to create bold, emotionally resonant work that offers a felt experience—one that engages the senses, stirs reflection, and opens the door to a deeper connection with self and space.