Irina Dubinski

Visual art is a vehicle for my spirituality. Creating, viewing, reflecting, and meditating on paintings has always been important to me; but, it became especially so during the COVID pandemic, when I was searching for a respite from the new kind of pressures it imposed on my family. At the same time, I also faced the unexpected reduction of my day job to half-time. The latter posed its own stress, to be sure, but it gave me more time than ever to devote to my art. It was then that I discovered expressionism, with its unrealistic colors and loose application of paint. This style helps me to convey the message that the true beauty of humans and nature transcends their aesthetic appeal. I strive to create empathy in the viewer that would surpass his or her enjoyment of the imagery on the canvas. My subjects of choice are people and animals. This allows me to express my gratitude for the beauty of the world, which never fails to give me the energy to face my day-to-day responsibilities.