Though the Ukrainian artist Iryna Patalakha has been painting professionally only since 2020, she has achieved a lot throughout this short period. With a portfolio of over 60 paintings created over the past four years, Iryna enjoys ever-growing visibility in the Ukrainian and international art market. Most of her paintings are kept in private collections in different corners of the world, and she was awarded the glorious title of the Best Ukrainian in the profession of an artist in 2024. Let’s get acquainted with Iryna closer and learn about her visual techniques and her unique path to painting.
A Lifelong Journey to Painting
As long as Iryna can remember, she has always been attracted to painting. She created several paintings in her youth, and they were appreciated by her friends highly. Yet, Iryna preferred to set her passion back for many years, giving priority to a full-time job, her family, and home routines instead.
The unfortunate events of the COVID-19 lockdown, which resulted in a job loss, drove Iryna to return to her dreams and start painting full-time. The artist still regards that life-turning moment as the best chance to realize her calling, which helped her understand her life purpose.
Iryna Patalakha and Her Inspiration Sources
Like many other artists, Iryna envisions the art process as a form of spiritual transformation and attributes a strong liberating potential to it. She shares the unique feelings of excitement as she stands in front of a new canvas with the thrill and delight of giving birth to something new, bright, and beautiful. The fact that people buy her works is also a rewarding tribute to Patalakha’s unique vision of beauty and a sign that there are fellow thinkers also able to appreciate it.
The artist is open to experimentation with landscapes, seascapes, and abstractions in her portfolio. She has also tried her hand with various techniques, from watercolor to oil painting. Yet, Iryna Patalakha’s strongest passion is for painting flowers, which she regards as unique personalities with distinct characters. Iryna sees the unique beauty, mood, and personality in every flower and hopes to transfer the spirit of peace and tranquility through her flower portraits.
Relocation to the USA
Unfortunately, Iryna Patalakha was forced to flee Ukraine after the beginning of Russia’s invasion. At present, she is settling with her family in Tacoma, WA. The artist is optimistic about the new possibilities and learns English in the local college to restore the normal way of living and return to her creative activity. She is planning a New York exhibition to let more people embrace her unique visual language.
