Born in Ukraine, Maryna Bilak is an artist based in Hudson, New York. She received MFA degrees from Transcarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, in fine and applied art, and from the New York Studio School, New York, New York, in painting. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Connecticut, 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, Hudson, New York, John Davis Gallery, Hudson, New York, Long Island City Arts Open Festival, New York, New York, a juried exhibition, series five at Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, New York. Bilak lives and works in Hudson with her husband and their daughter.
Artist Statement
My studio practice is developing into three directions: fresco, sculpture and oil painting. Each media comes with certain discipline.
The recent work(s) use fresco to paint individual pieces, then assembled through mosaic, three dimensional form and (multi textural) relief. I often use self made plastic cutouts and elements sourced from Nature as stencils as I build imagery into composition. The fresco technique has strict rules. I have discovered that with established technical rules there is more freedom in creative thought.
In sculpture I use plaster and fabric to make amorphic form pieces related to human body. Often I work from observation while using clay.
Oil painting maintains a constant presence in my studio, where I reflect on my early experience of nature and art making. The ongoing series of flower field and landscape continue my connection to the surrounding: in the childhood it was Carpathian Mountains, now - Hudson Valley.
My respect for the medium and the knowledge that comes with it, helps me to find conversation between subject matter and the material I choose. I truly believe all subject themes are gifted to artists. Subjects which are not designed artificially, contrived; but, come spontaneously as a product of self-identification through memories and relationships to the present.