The Paintings of Alina Yaskovich

Hi, English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes. I was always drawing from earlier days I can remember. When I was in second grade (in Russia), I went to my first art studio, thanks to my parents, who always inspired and encouraged me. I was really lucky with a teacher, she had very personal approach to every student, and not only taught us how to draw, she often took students to different museums trips and exposed us to art. When I was 11, I started art school, and finished it at 15. I have bachelor degree in fine art and education from University of Omsk, Russia.

I had very short experience working as an art teacher in a college in the same city, as soon after I had finished the University, we immigrated to Israel in 1998. Unfortunately, I did not paint or draw enough during a several years, as it was not easy to adjust to a new life and settle in a new environment. I still was painting occasionally, but rarely.

My biggest favorites in art were artist from Russian academic realism such as Repin, Shishkin, Korovin. I also really like French and American impressionists. Another big inspiration for me is artwork of Sargent.

I work in different mediums, such as watercolour, oil, pastel. Sometimes I think, maybe it's my disadvantage as I am not able to improve in something specific, however, I am this type of person who is interested in everything!

Finally, we moved to Toronto, Canada in 2012. So I decided to try myself in something new (of course!). So today I am a full time nurse in acute care hospital in Toronto, but somehow I started to paint more and I really enjoy it. Maybe working in stressful setting, make me want to create more, as it really help me to relieve stress and tiredness, especially in these hard times of today. It's pretty hard task to have balance in very busy life, having job and children, but the more I paint, the more inspiration and energy I have. I often choose watercolour because it is the medium that allow to finish painting in one day and it is easier to find a spot for painting in my busy schedule.

Acrylic on canvas.

I wanted to paint something rainy, subtle, but I created something very bright and colourful. As always another Toronto scape. Watercolour.

Oil on wood panel.

My new watercolour. Small town, Georgian Bay.12×16.

The City of Eternal Construction. I took this picture back in the fall, when I was traveling with the children to a competition in downtown. Watercolor. 12 x 16.

Portraits of children.

Seascapes. Pastel, 12×16 inches.

Find more of Alina's work on Instagram.

All of the above images are copyright Alina Yaskovich and shared here with permission.

Try it yourself

Paint the Sea in Soft Pastels with Kate Amedeo

You will need:

• rough paper in a light blue (construction paper, charcoal paper, or pastel board)

• soft pastels

• damp towel, paper towel, or wipes (to clean your hands after blending the pastels)

• masking tape (tape your paper to the table to keep it from moving around while you work)

• reference photo (you can use the one below or find your own)