Yuliya Vladkovska Artist Statement

Always eager to experiment, I look deep into my subjects’ eyes, panning for emotional nuggets that I can emphasize in transformative ways. I distort natural hues and play with light and shadow to emphasize a certain aspect of the subject’s essence. Sometimes, this is accomplished through thicker brush strokes that create a depth of shape and reveal new dimensions of the subject's nature while awakening a viewer’s tactile curiosity.

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Never satisfied with the limited range of classic colors, nor with small canvases, I am constantly

searching to expand the scope and impact of my work through broader color palettes and bigger

canvases. I frequently work in different mediums, including oils, acrylics, pastels, markers, and

inks, experimenting with different paint techniques, playing with textures, and often turning to

fluorescent colors and saturation for impact.

I love the power that comes with scale and find that working on the largest canvases possible allows me an unsurpassed freedom of expression and movement as I explore the space on a large surface, using not merely brushes and markers but my hands to create a piece. I find this type of physical experience almost like combat: It is a strenuous working out of the body and mind, an exercise in complete, integrated physical and mental expression, bringing about a pure form of emotional relief.
 

I love to document anything I see in my daily life that catches my eye as a potential art subject,

whether the banal food in my kitchen or an ancient wood flowing with life, a crowded global

marketplace, or from my experiences learning about a new technological advance, an inspiring

piece of music, or stories from the people I meet. I absorb and accumulate and draw creative

inspiration, applying this to my painting and everything else I create.

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Inspired by artists like Valentin Serov, Amadeo Modigliani, Van Gough, Kaws, and Banksy, I

often use painting as a means for sharing personal stories with complex psychological themes,

recreated childhood memories, and visions from my extensive travels to memorable and iconic

places around the world. I am fascinated by the idea of giving life to the fleeting impressions and

experiences of one’s deep imaginative rumblings. I try to find the transcendent qualities of a

simple orange, apple, or any other fruit, capturing all of its unique physical qualities, correlating

them with the physical properties of paint and canvas to create a piece of art that is greater than

the sum of its parts.