Three words spring immediately to mind when viewing the work of Iryna Yermolova: ‘fluid’, ‘luminous’ and ‘intuitive’. These adjectives could have been coined especially for her canvases.

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Rarely do we see a single stroke of luscious oil paint imbued with such descriptive power, and the effortless integrity of her approach to representation is nothing short of seductive. A colourist of exceptional skill, Yermolova plays a cat-and-mouse game of figuration, offering up jewel-like knots of reality and emotion that immediately unravel as soon as we grip them too tightly. Hers is an art that underscores the ephemeral nature of each moment.

Yermolova was born in Ukraine, moving to the UK in 2005. Her career began in an entirely different sphere: economics and graphic design. She credits oil painting with entirely transforming her life and outlook, allowing her to explore sensations that words and numbers can only hint at. A regular exhibitor at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters’ annual show at the Mall Galleries in London, she has been an integral member of the Paragon stable for ten years.

“I love colours, I love experimenting with texture and different media. I love my palette knife more than my brush. The subject of my paintings is not as important to me as the composition. I think my graphic design background always makes me put composition and colours in first place.”

2021 "Dreaming About Summer", solo exhibition at The Paragon Gallery

2014, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 Selected to exhibit at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London

2013 Chianciano Biennale, Art Museum of Chianciano, Italy