Meet Masha Pasichnyk

Today we’d like to introduce you to Masha Pasichnyk.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Born in Ukraine, the country that was trying to acquire its independence at a time. I was fortunate to be able to visit most of the European largest museums and galleries while growing up due to geographical proximity and the recently opened borders. My family wasn’t artistic but they had always been open and incredibly supportive of my passions. I remember how I was once wandering around Kyiv, while passing my classes in high school and happened to walk past the National Art Academy. I decided to walk in and since then my attention had been captivated by what was happening inside those walls.

For me, it was the whole new world. I got in and got my Masters of Fine Art from there six years later. I also met a lot of new friends and was introduced to the newly formed contemporary artists’ society. Classical school fascinated me as much as the postmodernism did with its clever irony. So, I explored more while collaborating with the Austrian artist Katharina Rozumovsky and Ukrainian artists like Urii Solomko and Illa Isupov. I went from drawing copies of Greek sculptures to hiring homeless people as models while trying to work on the graduation performance project. Artists like Andreas Gurski, Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Peyton and Edward Hopper influenced me the most I think.

Then, in 2013, I decided to take a break from visual art and tried to produce a contemporary ballet. I spent all of my savings on writing the original script, music and shooting a teaser video to promote the project. Then, I bought a one-way ticket to the US and decided to not come back until I found investors for the performance. Little did I know that they would want the business plan and a lot more than I currently had on hands. So, I went to Arizona for a Thanks Giving weekend to visit my mom’s friend and come up with a better plan. The day my airplane landed, the Revolution of Dignity started in my home city, Kyiv. And so I stayed a little longer. Since then I fell in love with the desert landscapes and the 360 panorama of the blue Arizona sky. I was thrilled to be able to curate couple international art residencies’ swaps between Ukraine and the city of New York. Still working on trying to do the same here in AZ. I was also fascinated by endless traveling possibilities and the States’ natural diversity. I am still exploring here and however sad I am with the current war in my country, I would never wish I had missed that plane that took me here almost 5 years ago.

Please tell us about your art.
I have been taught to create classical realistic artwork. The number of hours they make the art students spend on live model painting and drawing is beyond insane. That plus copying the famous academic style paintings of the world’s classics. In spite of this, I grew more interest in art as a medium for telling stories. I don’t want people to have to guess or try to find a meaning in the abstraction. I am interested in approaching my work from a diary kind of perspective. It’s like a print of my attention span camera. So, if a story captivated me – I can try to reflect on it through an illustration or a painting. Sometimes, I get fascinated with objects, their shape, and niche in the world of the global market. I created the whole series of paintings exploring the patterns in the food industry and the globalization processes. I love cycling so it has been a rather major topic in my work as well. I also created a number of paintings while discovering the national and foreign sides of the Ukrainian/Russian conflict and trying to glue together the pieces of sense that this situation makes within my consciousness as an immigrant.

I try to maintain the irony and cheerfulness in my artwork. I believe the ultimate success is when you are able to tell your dream in a way where nobody gets bored. That is what I am trying to archive through painting. I am always excited to collaborate with the artists that inspire me and try new mediums. I worked on the documentary production about the new generation of Ukrainian artists, collaborated with the amazing team at Ruze Cake House in Scottsdale and now, I am exploring doing illustrations on the dishware and working with murals.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
100% agree with that. Social networks can be of great help and provide a wide range of collaboration possibilities. However, artists tend to be a bit introverted and not always open to socializing. I am still experiencing the lack of communication sometimes but am always open to new connections.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Mostly, people find my art through Instagram account: @Createdbymasha or my website. I am an independent artist and try to not affiliate myself with the galleries. I do show my artwork at events that excite me. I recently participated in a Belfast cycling art show in Framewerk Gallery. I am also always glad to give a studio tour to those who might be interested. One of the recent murals available to be seen publicly, that I’ve done, is on the exterior wall of the Babbo Italian Eatery restaurant at the Pavillions. I also do commissions and original artwork available for sale.

Contact Info:

• Website: Createdbymasha.com
• Phone: 480.404.3694
• Email: info@createdbymasha.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createdbymasha/

Image Credit:
Createdbymasha

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