Yuliia Shyshkina

My name is Yuliia Shyshkina, I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and from my childhood I have been dreaming about painting and making art. I grew up watching the work of my father, how he drew, carved wood, decorated our home, how the magic happened and masterpieces were created. I always had an irresistible desire to be a part of the arts community and that’s how I ended up working in the National Opera House of Ukraine for 10 years. Then the war started in February 2022 and I was forced to leave my home country. Lost my job and had to leave everything behind. I relocated to Greater Vancouver permanently and am very excited to build a full, vibrant, happy life here. I truly hope that here I will be able to fulfill my dream of becoming a successful artist. I started to create paintings for sale in 2013, mainly portraits. I always knew that I see people differently, I have certain associations between colors and people, especially for the people I know. And that’s how my unique style was born. I called it the “emotion of colors” because it is not exactly pop-art or avant-garde. Just 3 years later, I held my first personal exhibition where I presented 33 of my works, and I have never stopped working towards my art goals since. I feel a strong need to create because my art is a kind of therapy for me. It helps me process my emotions and feel them fully without shattering myself into a million pieces. In this difficult time for my country, my culture, my people, and myself personally, I really need to share these experiences through art. And so, I welcome you to this next chapter of my life and art career, please explore and feel my emotions through colors. I am so glad you are here!