Anna Shukeylo: Reflections

Reception: Wednesday, September 27, 3-5 PM

Reflections Artists Statement 2023

My work has always been autobiographical, even when I depicted figures from imagination. Becoming a mother has turned my world and schedule upside down but yet changed my painting in a very profound way. Every element of my life has been affecting the subject, the scale and materials. The experience of time has manifested itself in gestures and transient moments. Baby night waking, experience of breastfeeding, constant shifting and discovery has spilled into my new body of work. My toddler’s endless doodles became the foundation of my drawings. The collaboration between the free spirit of my child and the schooled strokes of my own hand created a fun and unusual juxtaposition for me; an uncharted territory. The movement of a gesture and the stive to grasp a precious dimple or fold overtaken the previous stillness of my methods, although light and color still play a vital role. Thinner layer and more gestural paintbrush strokes allow me to say more, quicker as I often allow my toddler to play with clean brushes as I paint. I often anchor my images with patterned fabric collage and an occasional fragment of a toy. These works are focused on play and capturing the sentimentality of the moments they portray.

Anna Shukeylo (b. St. Petersburg, Russia) is an artist working and living in New York Metropolitan area. She graduated from Pratt Institute with her MFA in Painting and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with BFA/Certificate in painting. Her work has been exhibited throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana and internationally.