Traditional Clothing by Mariya Haponenko
Mariya Haponenko's series of drawings illustrate the national clothing of cultures who still wear their national dress in their home country. She wanted to illustrate the stunning pattern and colourful composition of which she thinks to be some of the most beautiful cultural wear. While modern times have seem to move away from these traditional clothes there is still an importance to them and how they enrich the culture of the people who wear them.
Toronto is known and praised for its multiculturalism, the city even has distinct locations dedicated to a wide variety of cultures, from Little Italy to Korea Town. However when people with different nationalities come to Canada and adapt, their traditional clothing is what leaves them first, only to be worn during traditional holidays and special occasions. As a Ukrainian I experience this first hand. I wanted to put emphasis on how this important aspect in an immigrant's life is being challenged by modern times and the pressure to adapt and fit in.Traditional fashion reveals one's roots, and that's something you should wear with pride. I love vibrant colours, even though I only wear black and white I like seeing vibrancy in my own art. This is why I chose the colour palette that I did, and what best way to show a wide range of colours than in clothing pattern? I tried to stay true to the colour schemes in respect to each country.
- Mariya Haponenko
For my 25th Birthday this year I received my first set of Prismacolor pencils crayons. Being an artist I never owned professional pencils crayons, which is ironic. I decided to test them out and this was the result. I didn't want to use them on white paper because that was too conventional, so I chose brown craft paper instead, and this made the colours pop out with excellent vibrancy. I started off with the model faces and worked the patterned textiles around them. I did use some gold and white Molotow markers for highlights in the end.
- Mariya Haponenko
These pieces were in an Exhibit hosted by Artscape in Toronto. They received a great response and some were sold. People commented on the fabulous range of patterns I've illustrated, they also liked that the composition was a circle instead of the traditional angular piece of art. The most fascination people had was with the amount of detail in each piece. I was told to go bigger, which I will for my next series.
- Mariya Haponenko
About Mariya Haponenko
Mariya Haponenko is a self-taught artist born in Lviv, Ukraine, but Toronto is what she calls her home town. She previously attended Etobicoke School of the Arts majoring in Visual Arts. Mariya studied at Ryerson University School of Interior Design, where she received her BID. Art is a big part of her life and something she have built her reputation on. It is second nature to her and it’s the most proficient way of expression for her. She see Art as an emotional outlet and a pathway to find your inner self. She's also passionate about exploring the human anatomy and experimenting with human expression, while combining realism with abstract. Her current work uses very vibrant colours and whimsical subject matter to create playful illustrations.