Bio
Dasha Prudnikova is a 27-year-old artist who moved to the US when she was 10 years old. She is currently living in the US after spending over 3 years living in Mexico. She has had a few shows at the local galleries there and got very inspired by the beautiful traditions of Mexico and started creating "Day of the Dead" theme paintings.
She has always been very artistic and creative and has made art for as long as she can remember, always drawing or painting, going through sketchbook after sketchbook. When she was in middle school, one of the art teachers noticed her talents and made her apply to an art magnet high school "Carver Center For Arts and Technology." She got in and studied painting and sculpture there. She received many awards when she was younger, including first place in the Maryland antidrug poster competition and two silver keys in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. When she got older, her mom started taking her to art museums in every city they traveled to, and Dasha fell in love with impressionism. Her biggest influences have been Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Edgar Degas, who inspired her to appreciate the curves and softness of the female form and face. Since then, she has completed dozens of commissions, has been featured in several magazines, won many competitions and reached new heights with her paintings. Some of them are hanging on walls in cities like London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Last year she was also invited to work for the Mural Arts of Philadelphia on four huge murals, two of which are installed and the other two are pending to be installed in the spring.
Dasha focuses on sensual portraits of women and captures emotion in all her paintings by focusing on the eyes and hands. She chooses this subject because she wants to show women through the eyes of a woman because historically women have always been painted by male artists. She believes hands play just as powerful and critical of a role as the eyes and that so much can be told with a gesture of the hand. She tries to experiment with every painting but always keeps this core idea in each one. Dasha mostly works in oil paints but occasionally likes to sway from her usual style and adds in mosaics, glass, and acrylics. She creates work that provokes the viewer to feel and truly connect with the painting. She is fueled by an eagerness to grow in her craft and create constantly. Her pieces range from classical portraits to sensual work.
Dasha Prudnikova es una artista de 27 años que nació en la pequeña ciudad de Lipetsk, Rusia. Se mudo a los Estados Unidos desde temprana edad y ahora reside en Oaxaca, en donde es constantemente inspirada por su vibrante arte. Siempre fue una persona muy artística y creativa y ha hecho arte desde que puede recordar, siempre dibujando y pintando. Recibió muchos premios cuando era pequeña, entre ellos el primer lugar en la competencia de Posters Antidrogas de Maryland y 2 medallas de plata en Artes Escolares y Escritura. Cuando creció empezó a ir a museos de arte en cada ciudad que visitaba y se enamoró del impresionismo. Su mayores influencias han sido Renoir y Degas, quienes la inspiraron a apreciar las curvas y la suavidad de las formas y rostros femeninos. Desde entonces, ha completado docenas de encargos, ha sido destacada en varias revistas, ganado numerosos concursos y alcanzado nuevas alturas con sus pinturas. Algunas de ellas cuelgan en paredes de ciudades como Londres, Los Ángeles, San Francisco y Filadelfia. El año pasado también fue invitada a trabajar para Mural Arts de Filadelfia en cuatro enormes murales, dos de los cuales están instalados y los otros dos están pendientes de ser instalados en primavera.
Dasha se enfoca en los retratos o pinturas figurativas de mujeres y capta la emoción en todas sus pinturas al enfocarse en los ojos y las manos. Ella escoge este tema porque quiere mostrar a las mujeres a través de los ojos de una mujer. porque históricamente las mujeres han sido siempre pintadas por los hombres. Ella cree que las manos juegan un papel tan poderoso e importante como los ojos y que muchas cosas se pueden llegar a decir con el gesto de una mano. Aunque experimenta con cada pintura, siempre mantiene esta idea central en cada una. Dasha usa una paleta brillante pero suave, haciendo un trabajo que trae una sonrisa a la cara. Sus piezas van desde retratos hasta trabajos ligeramente eróticos los cuales demuestran su identidad como artista.
Dasha trabaja principalmente con pinturas de óleo aunque algunas veces implemente el uso de materiales como el mosaico y acrílicos. Crea contenido que provoca al espectador a conectar con su pintura, alimenta por un deseo de crecer en su profesión y crear constantemente.
Artist Statement
Dasha is a self taught oil portrait painter who was born in Lipetsk, Russia but moved to the US when she was 10 years old. She studied sculpture in high school which helped understanding the human form. Her influences were Renoir and Degas, who inspired her to appreciate the line and curve of female face and form. Dasha strove to capture the sensuality and emotion she found between the faces, gestures, and expressiveness of her subjects. Her artistic intention was to liberate the softness and delicacy she found in connection with representing femininity in pastel portraiture.
Her pieces represent an evolution in her attitude and technique toward the realistic and impressionistic depiction of the female form.
Why I paint "Day of the Dead" themed paintings?
A friend of mine once told me of "the most magical place in the world” and I just had to go and check it out for myself!
I instantly fell in love with Oaxaca. How could you not? The climate, the vibrant buildings, the art, the food, and the time-honored traditions passed down from generation to generation, still celebrated and cherished.
I didn't want to leave and when I did, I just had to come back.
Oaxaca, often said to be an artist's haven, unfolds with a vivid blend of color, art, and traditions. My second visit also coincided with the highlight of the year - the Day of the Dead.
While it might not immediately sound cheerful to an outsider, in Mexico, it stands out as the most beautiful celebration I've ever witnessed.
During these special days, the belief that the departed return becomes a tangible reality. People warmly invite their loved ones back, adorning their path with favorites - foods, flowers, and cherished items from their lives. The entire city transforms and fills with colors.
Everyone dresses in costumes, adorn their homes, and line the streets with flowers, art, and sculptures. The graves also become a canvas of colors, a visual testament to the enduring bond between the living and the departed.
In this celebration of the dead, everyone joins in the spirited dance and parade through the city, fostering a sense of unity that brings them closer than ever and instills a deeper appreciation for the life they have.
After living there for three years, I now share with you these colorful, folkloric paintings representative of the vibrant Mexican culture.
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