Support Spokane Arts’ work to foster creativity & culture in our region for years to come by donating today! Your gift of any amount helps us continue impactful programs, public art projects, and direct granting to artists, arts organizations, & creative businesses! Learn more about all the ways to support here!

Artist: Yelena YuninShe/Her/Hers

Artistic Discipline: Visual
Location: Spokane Valley, WA

My name is Yelena Yunin. I am a local artist in the Spokane Area. I originally moved to Spokane from Ukraine, and grew up in the Hillyard Area. I am classically trained on painting with Water Colors, but I am also experienced in the use of other media. I attended EWU and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design and currently work as a Photographer in the Spokane Area. I love creating works of art through painting and photography.

Painting fills me with a sense of peace, I can stop thinking about everything that is going on in my life and focus completely on a line I’m drawing at the moment. This brings me the peace of being unplugged from technology.

I focus on the nature/animals in my work the most because that’s what grabs my attention the most all the time. I love going on hikes to a wildness. I find myself recharged in the very quiet wild place when the wind touches my hair, enjoying the smell of leaves around me, and waiting for an unexpected encounter with animals or other inspiration.

Animals have the most amazing eyes, so deep and without the need of human language to describe their feelings. I try to show that in my work.

I use a lot of realism in my work.I try to represent my work very realistic because I see the beauty around me like that and I want people to see what I see as well.