Isle of Wight Gallery Artist
Yana Barabash
Private View - Exhibition
9th Sept till 9th Oct 23 - 6.30pm till 9pm
I was born in Odessa and from an early age, I had a passion for drawing. At the age of 11, I enrolled in art school. However, I quickly lost interest and found it boring, leading me to leave after just one year. Surprisingly, my mother had faith in my artistic potential and encouraged me to give it another try with a different teacher. This time, everything changed when I met my creative mentor, Tatyana Nikolaevna. It was love at first sight, and under her guidance, we would paint by candlelight, cook potatoes in an old fireplace, and she transformed our material limitations into spiritual richness. It was during this time that my friend and I won the international children's book competition, where my love for painting truly blossomed.
Next came art school, where the tradition continued—my initial teacher was replaced in the second year, but the change brought a stroke of luck. Valery Vasilievich, a strict but fair instructor, introduced us to the rigorous Chistyakov traditions. I faced tough competition within my group, and we focused on academic and systematic training in drawing, painting, and composition. In my fourth year of college, I had my first exhibition alongside my parents—my mother sculpted whimsical small sculptures depicting village life, while my stepfather worked as a sculptor.
Later on, I had my first solo exhibition with my future husband, who was also an artist. I was only 20 years old at the time, and since then, we have strived to showcase our artwork regularly, every two years. During this period, I realized that my true passion lay in drawing portraits and genre compositions. People have always fascinated me, and I even contemplated becoming a psychologist. Painting brings me immense joy as I can share how I perceive the world, my dreams, and my aspirations—my motto, so to speak, is to bestow beauty upon others.
I firmly believe that the language of painting, encompassing drawing, color, and tone, needs continuous development. It serves as my creative medium for expressing ideas to viewers. I also feel that engaging with other art forms helps broaden perspectives. In the past, I enjoyed dancing and used to sing.
Traveling is an integral part of my life as it aids in understanding myself, my preferences, and expands my horizons through interactions with people from diverse cultures. Some countries even feel like a second home, as if I had known them in a previous life and returned to them now. My landscapes serve as a visual travel diary, captured in small sizes that I can carry in a suitcase. I prefer painting from life, as it provides a wealth of emotions, information, and vibrant colors. While I don't consider it sinful to use photography, I find that experiencing nature firsthand delivers a more profound impact. However, when circumstances don't permit larger paintings, I create color studies and use photographs to capture the necessary details and reproduce the impression.
I strongly believe that individuals who have achieved success in any field should share their knowledge, which is why I also teach painting. I'm drawn to creating multi-layered artworks that captivate viewers, as these pieces emit their energy for an extended period, akin to stones that possess a slow, enduring life. True painting always reveals something new, keeping the journey of artistic discovery alive.
2002 - personal exhibition in Odessa (exhibition hall "Ukrainian treasure").
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2004 - personal exhibition in Odessa (exhibition hall "Union").
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2006 - personal exhibition in Odessa (Museum of Western and Eastern arts).
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2009 - personal exhibition in Odessa (Art Museum).
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2009 - personal exhibition in Odessa (exhibition hall "Union").
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2009 - personal exhibition in Odessa (gallery "Vernissage").
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2012 - personal exhibition in Kyiv (Pit-Art gallery).
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2013 - personal exhibition in Odessa (Museum of Western and Eastern Art)
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2016 - personal exhibition in Kiev (Towers Gallery)
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2017 - personal exhibition in Odessa (Muse Gallery)
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2019-personal exhibition (Museum of Western and Eastern Art
2019 - personal exhibition in Cabados. Spain
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2022 - quay arts Newport
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2022 - monkton art Ryde
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Also participated in many joint projects. She travels a lot in Europe and Asia, over the past 2 years she has painted more than 70 paintings in different countries.
The paintings are in private collections in Ukraine, Europe, USA
