Visit the Studio with Yuliya Yasenetska

The work of Ukranian born artist Yuliya Yasenetska is both childish and sophisticated, whimsical and complex. Through a limited, bright palette Yuliya crafts scenes reminiscent of an imaginary childhood, images as seemingly familiar as the Rainbow Fish picture book, sea turtles carrying small towns to mushrooms sprouting red-roofed buildings. Together let’s explore Yuliya’s imagination and her studio.

What materials do you use? And why?

I mainly use acrylic paint and wooden panels. I like the feel and look of the wood –– its texture and sturdiness. I also create digital illustrations and often use them as a reference for the painting. Drawing illustrations helps me determine the right colors. My illustrations start as simple black lines on a white (digital) canvas, then I experiment with different color combinations. As a child I used to love testing out "interesting" color combinations in coloring books. I recently created a coloring book so others can also experience that joy of letting your imagination run wild.

What is your artwork about? What does it speak to?

I focus on the look and feel of the artwork, not on an ingrained, hidden meanings into the art. When children look at my artwork –– they don’t question ideas or start debating on philosophical topics. All they see is colors, shapes, and their own view of the image blended with their own naive vivid imaginations. I hope to capture that carefree imagination in my paintings without enforcing any predefined connotations. In this highly connected modern world, we are constantly and disproportionately exposed to negative emotions. Social media/news thrives and grows from those negative emotions. This only adds to our life's frustrations on top of what we might already experience from work, relationships, and other struggles. Through the light-hearted and colorful depictions of my artwork I try to awaken the forgotten joy.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration continuously changes. I am inspired by my daily events, conversations, documentaries I watch, or books I read. One time I was in a hotel in Cartagena where the walls were covered with toucan illustrations and each hotel’s room was dedicated to its own bird. It inspired me to start a series of bird paintings.

I love sharing my art with the world and getting positive feedback. As of recently, I’ve noticed that many people needed some extra positivity to cope with the difficulties they are experiencing during the pandemic. I asked my Instagram followers for two things: 1. a favorite animal/object that represents them and 2. their most treasured cities and places. Then I created personalized illustrations to cheer them up. Here are some of the examples!

What is your typical routine when you get to the studio? Walk us through a typical studio day.

First, I draw a small sketch with an ink pen. Then, I create a digital illustration on my computer, using Adobe Illustrator. It usually takes me up to an hour to color it since the sketch has a lot of small details and I fill in each color thoughtfully, not randomly. Lastly, I paint it –– the routine is very simple –– I get a wooden panel out on the table, play some good music, make myself a cup of tea and off we go. Here is an article with more details and images on the process.

Painting puts me in a calm, dreamy mood. It serves as a kind of meditation to me, a way to immerse myself fully into something I deeply care about. I’ve been shooting time-lapse videos of the painting process lately. Stroke by stroke the vision comes to life and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the blank canvas turn into a complete image.

Do you work at a particular size or scale? Why?

My work is usually 24-30 inches wide. It’s not too small and not too big; perfect for storing and easy to carry around. I also have some smaller works, but they are more studies and fun experimental paintings. Living in NYC, space is limited, but I hope to create some bigger works once I have more room to work with.

What are you currently working on? Share with us what is exciting to you about this most recent work.

I just finished a piece where I incorporated a new material I’ve never used before –– gold leaf. As artists we should always experiment and strive to learn more. I am pretty happy with the outcome and even created a short video of the process.

I enjoy experimenting with different mediums, and in the past month - I have been learning a new skill - animation. Last week I created a fun short video that has only 5 seconds, but it includes 80 hand drawn frames. It entails a chameleon that caught a cicada and looks pretty happy about it :) It took me way longer than I expected to create it and I have so much more appreciation for those who create animation!

Which artists most inspire you and your work?

It may sound like a cliche, but I was originally inspired by Picasso. Not by his style, but by the sheer amount of work that he produced throughout his life. He was always experimenting with new techniques, styles, mediums. When I was in art school I tried taking as many different art classes as possible. It included ceramic work, screen print, etching, drawing and painting classes. It helped me to be more open to new ideas and understand art processes better.

Do you balance another job in addition to being an artist?

I work full time as a software engineer. It can be financially difficult to support yourself as an artist. Being a programmer allowed me to pursue my true passion without having any financial constraints.

Do you have any current or upcoming exhibits? Please share!

Unfortunately due to COVID-19 most galleries have paused their exhibitions. But before the virus two of my works were a part of the “Altered States - National Exhibition of American Art” at the Pleiades Gallery in Chelsea, NYC.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special peek into Yuliya's creative environment! Even in a virtual age, we encourage all budding collectors to take the time to connect with the artists you love directly.

We want to remind you of our awesome artist messaging feature directly on the Art in Res site––reach out now and foster that creative energy! Have more questions for Yuliya on her art and practice? Follow up with her directly via our messenger. We know she’ll be thrilled to answer any questions you might have. Ask about a specific painting or about her specific process in general––either approach works!