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.
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.
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.