"Blue Flowers" Painting

My name is Yana Naidenko. I am an artist from Ukraine. I was born, studied painting, and worked in the city of Kharkiv. In 2022, due to the war in Ukraine, my family and I were forced to move to Slovenia, where I live and work now.

The tragic events connected with the war in my country, as well as the forced move, influenced my creative work. The landscape became my main theme.

I have always found inspiration in nature, but especially during this time of grief and loss, I felt and realised anew how communication with Nature helps me preserve myself and not lose my footing.

At first, my landscapes were connected with memories of my home – this helped me maintain a connection with myself. I painted them using old photos or photos sent to me by my friends. When enlarged, the photo blurred and lost its clarity, so soon my landscapes became abstract.

Over time, painting landscapes became something like meditation and communication with Nature. When I paint, I immerse myself in the contemplation of something greater than flowers and grasses. It is as if I am weaving a pattern, catching familiar outlines and leaving imprints of Nature. I do not transfer the drawing from a photo onto the canvas; these landscapes do not have a specific terrain. They are born from memory and the depth of consciousness, transferring a state of inner silence onto the canvas.

In ancient yogic texts, it is said that Man can know the Truth through the contemplation of Nature. This is close to me, and I would like to show this through my creative work.

My series of works are about this. To "hear" the silence within oneself, one needs to stop, slow down, and contemplate...

Many of my works are monochrome, because colour distracts and conveys additional emotions. Alongside oil paint, I also use natural pigments made by me by hand. Mostly – this is charcoal. I like its texture, depth, and a certain meaning. In most works, I do not use white paint to convey a feeling of lightness and transparency.

Creating my landscapes, I immerse myself deeply within myself, where there is silence, love, and truth. And this is the state I would like to convey to the viewer.