Written by Hello, my name is Irina Trzaskos. I am a watercolor artist and illustrator. I am originally from Moldova, a small, beautiful country in Eastern Europe. Now I live in Coventry, Connecticut. I’ve been drawing and painting since I can remember and when I was young, I would get in trouble because I was drawing on everything I could find – books, photo albums and furniture.
I discovered the beautiful world of watercolor when I was four years old, my brother was going to art school and I found his watercolors. It looked like magic when I added water to the dark paint from the box; it became a flowing bright blue that was vibrant and alive.
In 2012, when I’d just moved to the United States, I was researching art opportunities and most art directors would mention that watercolor is not a popular medium and it is very hard to adapt watercolor art to commercial illustrations. But, in less than a year something started to change, people around the world started noticing the unique beauty of this medium. The artists started experimenting with watercolors, adding the contemporary spin to watercolor artwork.
Watercolor became in demand on every art-related market: stationery, fashion, home decor, editorial and book illustration. I am so excited that today, the glory of watercolor is rediscovered by art enthusiasts around the world. Watercolor art is pure joy for the artists and the viewer.
In 2014, my husband started to write children stories and asked me to illustrate them, if you’ve ever illustrated a book you know it takes months of drawing and painting. That is when I understood that I wanted to be a full-time artist. Our stories were first published as separate books and this spring we combined them in one book called Tales From a Magical Forest, a collection of seven stories written by my husband Justin Trzaskos and fully illustrated by me. You can take a look at our books on Amazon.
My work is inspired by fairy tales, travels, traditions, and life-long memories. I love using various symbols and colors, which connect me with my Eastern European culture, tell stories, and carry on the positive energy to the viewer. I want my artwork to make people happy, thoughtful to evoke emotion, and remind them of something dear. World cultures, architecture, sculpture, artisan crafts, and performing arts fascinated me since I was little, and I hope to reflect this admiration in my creative journey.
Two years ago, I was invited to teach watercolor online, and it turned into one of the most wonderful and rewarding experiences in my art career. I have students from all over the world and I am so fortunate to see their creative progress. By explaining the painting process I’ve become more conscious of my own art journey. Also, my students inspire me to explore art trends, paint new subjects and try new techniques. I feel so lucky to teach so many amazing creative people from all over the world who are as excited about watercolor as I am. Today, I have fifty classes published with over 25,000 students.
Creative means the fresh, the unknown, and I think watercolor is the most perfect medium for embracing your creativity. Watercolor never stops surprising me. I admire how unpredictable this medium is, how you can never get the same result twice. When I am painting, I feel the joy of anticipation for how the artwork will look when I finish it. I like the watercolor medium for its honesty and ability to capture a certain moment of the creative journey.
When you look at watercolor artwork you can see all of the layers, brushstrokes and beautiful mistakes. In watercolor, you can’t press the “undo” button or cover something with an opaque layer of paint, so when you look back at your art you will see the truest version of yourself in that moment of time, with all the skills, ideas, wobbly lines, and perfect imperfections. Every artwork is a beautiful milestone on your creative path.
Irina is a 2019 World Watercolor Month (July) Artist Ambassador!
Irina Trzaskos
Instagram
Facebook
Watercolor Classes
Our Books
Irina, your work is so beautiful and lively! Thank you for sharing your artistic journey with us!
nice…
Such lovely art! Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful artwork! Thank you for sharing your story with us!!!
Greetings Irina. Thanks for sharing your art journey it is very inspiring. 🙂 Your art is breathtaking 🙂
Irina, your art is beautiful and whimsical, such a delight to see. I love the vibrancy of your colors and the flow of your compositions. What an interesting journey to art, from your brother’s paint box to a career doing what you are meant to do.
yes whimsical and vibrant….my dreams.
Wow I just WOW….I relate in every sense of the word. the illustrations are so beautiful. I would love to learn more about this amazing artists Irina I love your illustrations. Yes I know what you mean about working on your art. It does take lots of illustrations. I’ve recently decided to embrace my skills right now and both illustrate and write my books. It’s amazing that you and your husband did it together. I’ve been painting for less than 10 years. I love acrylic and tempera too. BUT watercolor is just there’s something that soothes me. I guess it’s because in the end you have no choice but to let water do it’s thing and I love that!. Hope you can stop by my blog sometime. Thanks Charlie for this wonderful treat!
What a beautiful beautiful story. I am putting the link on http://www.sketchbookrevival.com . I absolutely love this line, “you will see the truest version of yourself in that moment of time, with all the skills, ideas, wobbly lines, and perfect imperfections. Every artwork is a beautiful milestone on your creative path” (Irina Trzaskos). We need this on the revival page. Thank you Irina, for giving hope and making sense of it all. Your artwork is stunning.
Such a beautiful story of your life adventure, thank you for sharing. I love your wonderful art, the talent you share through your teachings is a continuous inspiration to improve with my watercolours. The first class I took of yours was the bicycle an I painted a ton of spokes in each wheel. Still have it hanging on my wall, I laughed when I realized how funny my bike wheels looked. You’re talented , heart warming person an I’m so happy that you’re (July) Artist Ambassador, on Charlie O’Shields Doodlewash, Congrat’s.
Thanks for sharing your stunning artwork! It will leave a lifelong impression on a young person’s memory, which will be remembered fondly for his or her entire life. I hope that many kids will get to enjoy your work.
Beautiful! I love your work. I will have to check your blog out. 😉 Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring us!
Love your illustrative style and heart for watermedia. Thanks for sharing!
Such beautiful pieces! Thank you for such a wonderful read!
Thanks for sharing both your story and your artwork. I love them 🙂
Irina’s classes have been part of my watercolor journey since the very beginning, and I feel really lucky to have her inspiration and knowledge along the way. Her views on art and painting are very close to mine and her honest approach to watercolor translates beautifully into her work. 💙
Beautiful colors. Really enjoy your art. Thank you
for sharing your story.