MARYNA BILAK
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Maryna Bilak is an artist based in Hudson. She received MFA degrees from Transcarpathian National University, Ukraine, in fine and applied art, and from the New York Studio School, NY, in painting.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Connecticut, Derfner Judaica Museum, Bronx, New York, Museum of Transcarpathian Hungarian Institute of Ferenc Rákóczi II, Berehovo, Ukraine, Historical Museum "Palanok," Mukachevo, Ukraine, Museum and Exhibition Center, Serpukhov, Russia, and Collection of Institute of Balassi Balint, Budapest, Hungary. She has had one-person exhibitions at Hudson Hall at the Historic Hudson Opera House, John Davis Gallery (Hudson), Long Island City Arts Open Festival, a juried exhibition “series five” at Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, NY. Her portrait “Being” was featured in semiquincentennial group show “About Face: 250 Years of American Portraits” at Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Connecticut.
Bilak lives and works in Hudson with her husband and their daughter.
Artist Statement
Over the past decade of living and working in the Hudson Valley, I have dedicated myself to the art of fresco, the oldest known painting technique. This method incorporates natural ingredients such as sand, limestone, and pigments sourced from the environment. Beginning my art career as a plein air artist, I developed a keen awareness of the subtleties in trees, flowers, and water, which informs my work in fresco. This practice allows me to honor artistic traditions while nurturing a deep respect for the surroundings and the materials I use.
In my recent works, I employ fresco techniques to create individual pieces that are later assembled into mosaics, three-dimensional forms, and multi-textured reliefs. I often create custom cutouts and use elements sourced from nature as stencils, intricately weaving these components into my compositions to build imagery.