Let's Talk Art – A Conversation in Colors

Artist Statement

My name is Yael Zahavy-Mittelman. I am an abstract artist, using lines, shapes, colors, passion, lots of imagination on canvases to express myself, my feelings, my life journey, and my reactions to life. My art is strong, big, and is not there to please. My art is deep in meaning, some joyful, some heavy.

Going into my studio to paint is a way for me to breath. I have to paint. Painting chose me. Art, for me, is a dance between me and the canvas, with the paints strokes and layers to lead the way. I always try to move respectfully to the art process without stepping on its strokes. The dance is so dominant, that it requires all of my energies. The process dictates the beginning of the painting and by the time the work is finished it will tell me “one more brush stroke and you cannot touch me anymore.”

I am an artist in different aspects of life. I am a visual artist, a painter, a drawer, a writer, and a story teller. I like new and interesting projects that inspire me and take me in new directions. I like my big canvases that tell stories, with mystical creatures, lots of movement, passionate colors, complex compositions, layers of paints, and meaning. Materials exploration fascinates me.

Let's talk, what I want my paintings to be about: For me as an artist, art in the studio is about the process. Outside of the studio, my work becomes a way to communicate, to form a connection. A finished painting has its own entity, and exists within the world of the viewer. My art is about encouraging my viewer to come up with his/her own story to my painting. Each viewer will bring another story, another point of view to the painting. Talking about peoples' stories and reactions to my art, forms a place for the art and the people around it to be.

I want my art to bring people together, to provoke a conversation. I want the art to talk to people, to allow them to be themselves, to express their ideas and feelings. I want my art to bring love and joy. I want my art to be accessible to a variety of people, no matter what age. I believe art belongs to the community, it defines community, reflects it, and tells its stories.

Thank you for your support and love for the arts,

Yael Zahavy-Mittelman