Meet Tetyana Aleksenko | Visual Artist and Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tetyana Aleksenko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tetyana, what do you attribute your success to?
We all have responsibilities in life and bills to pay, but at one point I realized that in order for me to be successful, I needed to focus on things I loved. Easier said than done, that was exactly what I did when I chose an art as a career later in life. I feel like creating art is a very satisfying process by itself, and the ability to express myself through creativity is a reward which cannot be measured by how much a painting costs or whether or not other people like my art. When I paint, I do not try to create a product to sell. Instead, I focus on my own personal growth as an artist and I work on every painting until I feel that it deserves to be hang on my walls and I am proud to sign my name on it. And when my art speaks to a viewer, it gives me a wonderful feeling of satisfaction and makes me want to work more. I think that for me being successful really depends on how much I am interested in my work and how much time and effort I invest in my business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a visual artist, as I work mostly in soft pastels and oil. I love painting portraits, landscapes, flowers and seascapes. I am fascinated by nature and its variety of shapes and forms, and I always want to capture its beauty on canvas or paper. What excites me the most, is light. I paint how the light strikes the objects and everything that light creates in the area of interest, such as shadows, reflections, highlights, and I love a magical feeling of mystery and/or beauty I am able to achieve. Yes, it requires some skills and knowledge, and I got where I am professionally by learning how to paint from artists that I truly admire. The lesson I learned along the way that it is Ok to not be perfect, because as I learn more and more about art, I realize that I will never be able to learn it all. A fear of failure often stops us from creating, but if you are not afraid to create, you will be able to overcome all the challenges and learn as you go. This is exactly my story, and I hope that it resonates with stories of other artists.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my friend was visiting me and I had a week to show her around, I would take her to a Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Caprock Canyons State Park – they are not too far to drive there and I love visiting state and national parks as I enjoy nature, wildlife, and outdoor activities. That is where you get away from a civilization and enjoy simple things that we often take for granted. And I would cook for my best friend myself, and we would enjoy simple things.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Nobody does it alone, and I am very grateful that I have people in my life that support me on my artistic journey. My friends and family are always there for me, and I cannot even express how much their love and encouragement mean to me. Also, I have been very lucky to have great mentors and teachers in my life, such as a pastel artist Elena Tatkina when I just started working with soft pastels and my current teacher, an oil painter Juan Cantavella, whom I deeply respect both as an artist and as a person. In addition, I found that being a member of different art organizations is crucial for connecting with other artists, supporting each other, and learning from each other. I would like to especially thank to Pastel Society of Southeast Texas, The Woodlands Art League, Conroe Art League, and Brenham Art League for their ongoing support and exciting opportunities for local art communities. Working with galleries is also very important in artistic world, and I want to specifically mention Degallery in Bryan, Texas, that I have had a pleasure working with for several years.

Website: https://www.taleksart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taleksart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Tetyana-Aleksenko/100087360253712/#

Image Credits
Tetyana Aleksenko