The paintings of Jenya Datsko, on show at the Lapada fair this autumn, capture personal connections. The women Jenya Datsko paints appear isolated from their surroundings. At a bustling restaurant with friends, they might have a melancholy expression, or they can look quietly content standing the peacefulness of her subject, who gazes into the distance while alone at a party. 'It doesn't matter what the background is, Datsko in the arms of a faceless figure. The act of depicting such moments says from her studio in Spain. 'I'm connecting with emotions!
The Russia-born artist moved from St Petershurg to Valencia in 2015 to study at the Gaia Centro de Estudios de Arte, initially creating digital illustrations and small-scale watercolours, before switching to acrylic on larger canvases. Since relocating to a new country, her greatest inspiration has been observing others; she is interested in exploring the dissonance between feelings and experience.
'I love to analyse situations happening around me,' she says, 'For me, painting is like keeping a diary.'
While the figures in her work are primarily women she has seen passing by, their faces are abstract and unidentifiable. 'I paint women because I consider us to be very emotionally strong - but my subjects represent all kinds of people.'
Datsko, whose work will be exhibited at this month's Lapada fair, among treasures from more than 100 global art and antiques dealers, uses a soft colour palette to convey a sense of serenity. For example, the shade of green that features in her Bazaar cover artwork By Your Side (one of a selection of her paintings on show at the fair) evokes the peacefulness of her subject, who gazes into the distance while in the arms of a faceless figure. The act of depicting such moments also affords Datsko the opportunity for self-reflection. 'The process is like meditation,' she explains. 'I can disconnect from everything else - I don't even notice the time.'
