“I want to transform the beauty around me into shapes. I try to think of my work as a process of simplifying something huge into a manageable pattern.”
–Natalya Romanovsky
Technique
Natalya Romanovsky starts every painting with a sketch. Then, as each shape and object “finds it has a soul and speaks to me,” develops her vivid, energetic paintings. Inspired by both folk art and contemporary design, Romanovsky produces oil paintings of dynamic images formed by bold brushstrokes and texturized by etching the work with a wooden skewer.
Biography
Natalaya Romanovsky has a childhood memory of a chance encounter with an old man, Jorg Jonkof, who was rumored to have been lost as a child, then found in a city far away. To Romanovsky it was as if Jonkof passed something to her during that meeting. From then on, she was destined to become an artist. At 7 years old, a teacher noticed Romanovsky’s talent and told her mother, “Give her brushes and paint. The child will know what to do.”
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from Chisinau Art College in her native Moldovia. After graduation, she went to work for a popular magazine, contributed to childrens’ publications, and continued to paint. In 1993 Romanovsky immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio.
During her first three years in America, Romanovsky worked odd jobs: McDonalds, babysitting, working at an ad agency, doing art therapy with seniors. Bored, but not knowing many people, she immersed herself in painting more and more. By 1996 she was painting full time.
“I am addicted to painting and must do it every day,” she says. A night owl, she often works until 3 a.m. or later. She also loves music and cruising America’s open roads.
Romanovsky’s work is exhibited in galleries throughout North America and popular with collectors. Three of her works are currently available at Village Frame & Gallery in Portland, Oregon.
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