FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2016
Contact: Tamar Russell Brown, Gallery Sitka — 978.425.6290
Astonishingly Versatile Painter to Exhibit at The Bull Run in Shirley
SHIRLEY, Mass. — Ylenia Mino is a true Renaissance woman. An accomplished visual artist, she holds a degree in classical studies taken in the splendid surroundings at the foot of the Italian Alps where she grew up. That course of study made her proficient in the translation of Latin and ancient Greek and conversant with the literature, philosophy and art history that is the common cultural heritage of the western world. The bold, bright colors and striking designs of her paintings are just the beginning of the story of this versatile young artist.
“In all my paintings there is a story,” says Ms. Mino. Many of her paintings are landscapes that evoke wonder and joy and a generally very optimistic attitude toward life. “I can’t define myself as a member of any school,” says the artist. “I paint what I feel and what I want to express and give to people.” She does concede that her art expresses some aspects of Impressionism and Realism, although she sometimes also paints in the abstract vein. In short, her approach is eclectic, seeking inspiration from many sources.
Ylenia began studying art when she was seven years old, and later on began a long apprenticeship under the guidance of Egyptian painter Ali Mohsen, who functioned as her mentor and teacher for many years. She moved to New York City, where she still lives, four years ago.
New York is a very stimulating place for an artist to live and work, Ylenia feels, and she finds the museum and gallery scene in the city a constant source of inspiration. “The Frick Collection is my favorite,” she says. “I love Impressionism and academic art.”
She has been featured in Descubra New York and i-Italy, as well as on such online publications as The Art World (the-art-world.com) and The New York Optimist. Her paintings illustrate poetry on such sites as Tweetspeak.
Ms. Mino travels to Costa Mesa, Calif. every year to participate in an auction to raise funds for The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. The celebrated animator adapted characters such as The Grinch for television and directed some of the best-known Warner Bros. cartoons. (The famous scalp massage scene, in which Bugs Bunny dances on Elmer Fudd’s head to music from “The Barber of Seville,” is Ylenia’s favorite.) The Center commissions artwork which Ylenia then contributes to the annual exhibition and auction.
“I want to give peace and joy to people, and art is a way to reach out to people,” says the artist. She donates works to various charitable organizations, most notably to Compassion International, which provides educational aid to children around the world. “My faith in God, and my spiritual life, are very important,” she says, supporting and nurturing her in both her art and her life. She wants“the creativity inside each person to be set free.”
The past year was an extremely busy one for Ylenia. Her work was shown at the 37th annual Artexpo New York at Pier 94 last spring, and she exhibited with gallery owner Maia Hamilton at Per Se Gallery in New York, as well as at the Hell’s Kitchen Art Festival and the DORMA Design Center competition this past summer. Further afield, she has exhibited in recent years in San Francisco, London, Amsterdam, Innsbruck (Austria), and her native Italy. Ylenia’s ambitious goal is to be able to say one day that she has exhibited in every country in the world — and she might just make it!
The artist will exhibit paintings at The Bull Run in Shirley, Mass. on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2 ̶ 4 p.m. Visit sitkacreations.com and yleniamino.com for more information about Ylenia Mino and her artwork.
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