Featured Artist Mariia Raskin

Artist Mariia Raskin presents a colorful collection of stunning textural collages inspired by her love of nature. Visit her website to see more.

 

 

I’ve been working as a full-time artist since 2019, after my family and I moved to Northern Cyprus, Turkey. Before arriving at my current mixed-media style, I explored many artistic directions, from minimalism to impressionism, spending months immersed in each of them. Looking back, I realized I had returned to the visual language I developed while earning my Master’s degree in Fashion Design with honors at Textile University. In many ways, I simply returned to myself.

 

 

My current style reflects both my philosophy and passions: a love of textiles, handmade objects, unusual textures, and harmonious compositions. Nature, along with reflections on the cosmos and unseen worlds, gives me endless inspiration.

 

 

I’m especially fascinated by imaginary plants and grasses with unusual forms. What kind of vegetation could exist on distant inhabited planets? What if we could look inside a plant and show both its inner and outer structure at the same time? How can color express the many different emotional states of nature: calmness, quiet joy, admiration, gratitude? These are the questions I continue exploring in my semi-abstract botanical series Jungle.

 

 

This exploration connects deeply with the idea of poetic nature, because I’ve come to realize that music, poetry, and visual art are simply different expressions of the same mesmerizing natural processes. My technique is also quite unusual. I work on textured paper, creating the texture itself by transferring patterns made from diluted oil paint across the surface of water. The organic marbling that appears resembles natural surfaces, and I use these textures both as backgrounds and as collage elements within my compositions.

 

 

Another important part of my process is handmade lace. For each painting, I crochet lace with a unique structural pattern, stabilize it, and then cut elements from it to incorporate into the artwork. Lace carries a very special meaning for me. Through its mathematical structure, it reflects the hidden inner architecture of plants, almost like DNA. At the same time, lace symbolizes warmth, tradition, craftsmanship, and generational connection. It evokes memories of visiting a beloved grandmother’s home. It also adds a powerful tactile dimension to my paintings.

 

 

Right now, I’m working on a new triptych where, alongside lace, I’ve begun incorporating natural fabrics. I stabilize the fabrics so they keep the beautiful woven texture of their fibers without fraying. The result is turning out incredibly exciting.

 

 

Color also plays a major role in my work. I enjoy exploring how different palettes affect emotion and perception. Some of my paintings are created in calm, earthy gray-brown tones, while others burst with vibrant blues, yellows, violets, and reds.

 

 

Looking ahead, I plan to move toward larger-scale works. I feel I’ve fully explored and refined my techniques on a smaller format, and now it’s time to expand. I’m also very excited to introduce another fascinating element into my art: surfaces created with natural pigments and egg tempera on traditional gesso panels.

 

 

I studied this ancient technique at the Triphon Iconographic School, where I earned my diploma with honors in icon painting. I’m deeply inspired by the idea of combining such different materials and traditions together to achieve even greater expressive depth in my work.

 

Mariia Raskin invites you to follow on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

 

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