Featured Artist Alina Lloyd

Artist Alina Lloyd presents a collection of colorful nature-inspired paintings that celebrate the senses. View more by visiting her website.

 

 

Art has always been my way of connecting with the world. I was raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, and have fond memories of spending hours drawing or painting and losing myself in my own imaginary world. When not drawing, I was outside. Even back then, I was captivated by the life of plants and insects. They frequently appeared in my paintings. I was enrolled in Kyiv’s art school at the age of 12. I had my first art show there.

 

 

Later, right before my family immigrated to Canada, I was fortunate to travel through Europe and visit many famous art museums. Being exposed to new art genres, especially impressionism, opened my horizons to new ways of painting.

 

 

I live in the countryside, just outside Toronto, surrounded by forests and gardens. My environment gives me endless inspiration. It is at the heart of everything I do.

 

 

My paintings are often described as vibrant and emotive. This is a reflection of how I feel when I’m in nature. I like to think of my work as a celebration of the sensory experiences. My goal is not to just depict an accurate scene, but to make the viewer feel as though they are experiencing it firsthand for themselves, whether it is the warmth of sunlight filtering through trees or the peacefulness of a still lake.

 

 

My process tends to be intuitive. I often prepare sketches either from life or photographs. When I start a new canvas, the painting unfolds organically. I am interested in the way mark-making portrays a feeling and often use tools other than brushes as a way to vary the application of paint in my work.

 

 

It is important for me that the work feels fresh and not overworked. Many of my paintings are completed alla prima, in one sitting. I want the viewer to witness my process in the visible paint drips and brush marks.

 

 

My palette is becoming brighter with time, portraying the current evolving aesthetic influenced by many hours we spend in front of computer screens. My use of metallic or fluorescent paint responds to this aesthetic as it influences the way we see our world, even when we are in nature, away from technology. The artificial colours become a tension between two worlds; one natural and the other veiled in our current machine-filtered reality.

 

 

Ultimately my goal is for my paintings to evoke a sense of awe and appreciation for the world we often take for granted.

 

Alina Lloyd invites you to follow on Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

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