Portraiture, Florals, and the Space Between Stillness and Emotion. June 24, 2025 Artist Elena Dobrovolskaya A Russian-born, New York-based artist, Elena Dobrovolskaya, is known for her elegant portraiture and contemplative floral compositions. Trained in the classical traditions of Russian art, she brings a refined sense of discipline to her contemporary practice, which draws influence from the clean lines and emotional restraint of Alex Katz. Working primarily in oil, Elena explores the quiet power of singular subjects—whether a face or a flower—exploring a space of stillness, beauty, and contemplation. Her recent work focuses on capturing the essence of individuals and the delicate poetry of nature with a minimalist yet evocative touch. Was there a particular moment when you knew you had to become an artist? I began drawing at the age of six, first copying illustrations from books and then gradually learning to draw from nature. When I turned 11, I began attending an artist studio, where I received my first introduction to composition and the principles of light and shadow. At that time, I did a lot of graphic work and watercolors. I wanted to become an artist, but I also liked textiles, so my dream was to become a fabric designer or a costume designer. Unfortunately, that never happened (but I still love fabrics!). My mother was a chemistry teacher, and I spent my school years at her laboratory. It influenced me a lot, and I also became a chemist. I returned to my dream of becoming an artist many years later, in 2010, when I started taking private lessons in oil painting with Oleg Leonov, a member of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts and a professor at the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow. So, my path to the art world was not an easy one, but I am glad that I have finally reached my dream. You were born and trained in Russia but now live and work in New York. How has this cultural transition influenced your artistic voice and visual language? It had a significant influence on me; my visual language became more contemporary. I also think that blending my classical training with contemporary vision gives me a unique artistic voice and approach to the painting process. I am not doing "a la prima", I am still starting every painting with the drawing, carefully thinking about each line. And I use only oil, not acrylic, because oil has a timeless quality and allows you to create richer colors and variations using multiple layers. Top: Last Happy Summer. Self-portrait, oil on canvas, 2016 Left: Oriental Lily, oil on canvas, 2024 / Right: Coral Peony, oil on canvas, 2025 Your portrait work is often described as reminiscent of Alex Katz. What draws you to this particular style of figurative abstraction and flat color? I always had a tendency to stylize my paintings, even in my first oil still lifes. When I started painting portraits of live models, it came naturally. Then, over the years, I was trying to simplify my style, seeking the purity of the Her Majesty Line and combining bold colors. I vividly remember my first impression of Alex Katz's work - it was during my first visit to ArtExpo New York. His painting of Ada was looking at me from the big wall at the entrance to the pavilion, flashing its vibrant orange color. I didn't know about him back then, but I recognized the style immediately. There was a very popular magazine called "Youth" during my school years in Moscow; it always had a beautiful cover with bold, stylish drawings, similar to posters, which I usually liked to copy. So when I saw Katz's painting, it looked familiar. Sometimes, we don't know what inspires us; it could be our childhood memories and impressions. Left: Japanese Girl, oil on canvas, 2022 / Right: Portrait of Kate, Princess of Wales, oil on canvas, 2023 In your recent floral series, you've focused on the beauty of a single flower. What inspired this shift in subject, and what does the solitary flower symbolize for you? I have three passions that have enriched my life: art, music, and gardening. Painting flowers allows me to combine two of them. The garden is my happy place; I love taking care of it. It is also my constant source of inspiration, so I paint flowers that I grow in my garden. My recent flower series, which I will present at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair, is called "My Garden." It features Iris, Oriental Lily, Coral Peony, and Columbine. They are very decorative artworks with the same background color - celadon green. My approach to painting flowers is the same as for my figurative works. I see it as a flower portrait. I want to reveal the beauty and personality that underlie each botanical detail, especially the central part, which is the heart of the flower. It also symbolizes a new life, a new beginning. I intended to create these paintings of individual flowers on a big square canvas so they would have a contemporary look. Elena Dobrovolskaya - Iris, oil on canvas, 2025 Color and composition play a decisive role in your work. Can you discuss your color palette choices? You are right - both colors and composition are essential to me. They are shaping the painting. Usually, I think about it for a long time before I start a new painting. My approach to color palette is always the same - I use one color for a solid background and another for the main color of the subject, whether it's a person or a flower. This pair of colors plays a vital role in my paintings, giving them a visual effect, so I choose it very thoughtfully. My favorite pair at the moment is a combination of green and purple. I used it recently in the "Iris" and "Columbine" paintings. It's celadon green, and I love it. Left: Still Life With Daisies And A Blue Purse, oil on canvas, 2023 / Right: Columbine, oil on canvas, 2023 Who are some artists—past or present—that have shaped your journey or continue to inspire you? From my youth, I was fond of Georgia O'Keeffe's flower compositions. Now, when I turned to the "My Garden" series and chose to paint it on a large canvas, I think her paintings subconsciously influenced me. I understand now what motivated her to do it on a large scale - it's a pleasure to gradually paint the colors, changing from dark tones to light ones. It looks stunning in a big format. As for portraiture, my influencers are the old masters, such as Hans Memling and Hans Holbein the Younger. Their use of a limited color palette is fascinating, as is the graphic quality of their portraits. They inspired me a lot.

Oil pastel visions of structure, serenity, and symbolic color. June 19th, 2025 Artist Irina Sheynfeld Irina Sheynfeld's work invites viewers into a vibrant visual language where nature becomes a mosaic of memory and sensation. Using oil pastels on board, Irina creates landscapes and florals through countless marks—layered dots that demonstrate rhythm and meditative clarity. Drawing from her background in illustration, Irina's art is both personal and universal, evoking a dialogue and connection with nature. The artist's work reflects a profound admiration for the natural world, conveyed through a meditative artistic process. Irina Sheynfeld - Sail, oil pastel on board, 2024 Can you tell us about your journey into the art world? What drew you to oil pastel as a medium? When I was four years old in Odesa, Ukraine, my parents sent me to a special experimental art school where dance, solfeggio, instrument, drawing, and painting were introduced to children. And I remember not being very good at anything there except drawing and painting, where I was a star. Only one other kid, a boy, was better than me. At the end of one of these drawing classes, my father said, 'This boy will probably become an artist, and what will you be?' To that, I immediately answered that I would be an artist too, and I never changed my mind.  After secondary school, I studied puppetmaking at the Odesa School of Theatre Arts. After my parents and I arrived in New York City, I continued my art education at Parsons School of Design, where I earned a BFA, and later pursued my studies at SVA, earning an MFA. For over ten years, I worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Oxygen Media, The New York Daily News, and American Law Media. Finally, thanks to my husband's support, I was able to quit my job as a designer and dedicate myself fully to my career as an artist.  Could you walk us through your typical creative process, from concept to completion? My trips often inspire my work. I am especially drawn to the mountain landscapes and views of the sea. When I travel, I take a lot of pictures with my phone, and I also make sketches on paper. Additionally, I write detailed instructions for myself about what I should do with particular scenes once I return to my studio. Often, I even make small diagrams with notes on what color should go where and what the mood and general key of the work must be. Once in my studio, I arrange all my notes, sketches, and photos around me and make more sketches, often in a series of ten. Then, I proceed to color studies. Only then, when all decisions are made, do I begin working on finished pieces. I usually create 10-15 work series, reworking each piece several times, as it is impossible to correct mistakes with oil pastels.  Left: Spring Inspiration. Liles, oil pastel on board, 2025 / Right: Spring Inspiration. Pionies, oil pastel on board, 2025 Your use of dots and repetition creates a strong sense of rhythm and texture. Is this method intuitive or planned? Every aspect of my work is meticulously planned. The dots and circles activate the surface of my paintings, creating a sense of vibration. My goal is for the entire work to pulsate with energy and movement. This method works if all elements, including all dots and circles, are perfectly harmonized, much like instruments in an orchestra or notes in a musical composition. If one note, one circle, or one dot is off, then the entire painting needs to be redone.  Nature plays a central role in your work. What does nature symbolize to you personally or artistically? During my travels, I take many photos so that I can later use them as references and inspiration for my work. I enjoy taking long walks in the mountains with my sons, friends, and myself. Recently, I survived the tragic loss of my husband. Walking in nature was something that we used to do together, and now it has become a way to remember. This past May, I went on a seven-day hut-to-hut trek with my sons in Nepal. We hiked to Annapurna Base Camp, located at 13,549 feet, and watched the sunrise that illuminated the snowy peaks of the Himalayas.  Irina Sheynfeld - Himalayas, oil pastel on board, 2025 Irina Sheynfeld - Machhapuchhare, oil pastel on board, 2025 What do you love most about working with oil pastels on board? Are there any limitations you embrace or challenges you face? I work in a wide variety of mediums, but recently, I have been making most of my work in oil pastel, which combines the brilliance of oils with the portability of the pastels. My art pieces are usually not very large in scale because I work in various locations and take the materials with me wherever I go. The biggest challenge of working with oil pastels is that you can not change or rework anything. Everything has to be prepared and thought of ahead of time, so if I make a mistake, I have to redo everything from the beginning. Are there artists or movements that have influenced your work? Some of the contemporary artists who have influenced my work are Shara Hughes, Sally Mann, Ebony Patterson, and, of course, Mark Shagal, Sonia Delaunay, Robert Delaunay, and Claude Monet.  Left: Thistle - oil pastel on board, 2025 / Right: Japan -oil pastel on board, 2024 What's a piece of advice you'd offer emerging artists? For any artist, but especially those just starting out, it is essential not to get lost in someone else's vision but rather to follow your own path. It is like swimming through a dark sea underwater. You point your flashlight where you want to go, and you observe wondrous creatures on all sides, but you don't stop every time you see something bright and beautiful; you swim ahead because you are looking for something else, something yours. And you only vaguely know what that something else is.  What's next for you— any upcoming shows, projects, or new directions? My ongoing project is the Odesa Peace Fund that my late husband and I started when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022. Since his passing, I have continued my work with my close friend, Tamara Gruzbarg. We provide food and hygiene items to displaced people, senior citizens, and families with many children in Odesa, and we also send medical supplies to hospitals across Ukraine. The portion of the proceeds from the sales of all my work goes to the Odesa Peace Fund.  In terms of my creative work, I am planning to create a new series of etchings and oil pastel paintings inspired by my trip to Nepal. Several smaller works, which will serve as color studies for my future series, are already in progress. I also plan to exhibit them at the Affordable Art Fair NY this fall with Artios Gallery.

PRESS RELEASE December 1, 2020, New York Artios Gallery is proud to display an annual group exhibition of its represented artists. Winter Mosaic: Celebrating Creativity is on view from December 1, 2020, through January 31, 2021. It is not a secret that humans have an inexhaustible capacity to imagine and create Art. Through centuries, Art played a vital role in human lives; it inspired, it provoked, it encouraged, it reflected, it helped us get through trying times. Henri Matisse once said, “Creativity takes courage.” Indeed, it is one thing to imagine something; it is quite another to turn that imagination into reality. It takes daring to share that imagination with the world at large. What would our lives be without it? Despite a challenging year with a pandemic, quarantine, and physical closures, Art helped us stay positive and productive. We were busy organizing Call-for-Artists campaigns and several virtual shows, producing catalogs, shooting promotional videos, and welcoming eleven new artists to our Gallery. At Aritos, we carefully select our artists for their unique creative and intellectual vision. They have different styles and ideas, use various media, but all of them have one common trait – they are remarkably brave. This exhibition showcases an incredible diversity and versatility of styles, from realism to surrealism, from abstraction to a more figurative style, from bright and joyful to contemplative and melancholic. Be it digital art or photography, painting or monoprint, canvas or paper, the show reflects a kaleidoscope of talent akin to colorful festive tree lights, each with its own glitter and sparkle, collectively shaping a beautiful celebration of creativity. Follow the link to view the show www.ArtiosGallery.com/virtual-gallery We hope you will enjoy this show. Purchase inquiries at info@artiosgallery.com