Vicky Yanouskiy aka Icky Vicky
I am a self-taught psychedelic artist based out of Philadelphia, PA. I've been in love with creating art since I was a child. I took classes back in high school, but life circumstances pushed me towards pursuing science in my higher education instead of fine arts. Throughout the years, I made less art with the exception of drawing tattoo designs for myself and my friends. Art got put on the far back burner. I started a Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania pursuing a doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology, and I started drawing and painting again at the start of 2022 as a way to cope with the spicy times in grad school.
When I started painting, I knew virtually nothing about the nuances and techniques involved with oil painting, but I didn't think much of it because how hard could it really be? I can hold a pencil decently enough, so I should be fine holding a paintbrush. I quickly realized that I was exceptionally wrong, so I developed my technique through many trials and many errors. Along this learning curve, I fell so hard back in love with art. I now have displayed my work at various art shows and markets, and my art had a home at Four Humors Distillery in Fishtown, Philadelphia.
Inspiration
The natural world is my curious muse. It can be dark at times yet blindingly brilliant, violent yet peaceful, serene yet shrouded with mystery – a composition of contradictions. I have always believed that it is the little things that make everything in this world, in this life, beautiful. This is where a psychedelic lens comes into play, whereby the smallest of details are highlighted in bold and colorful ways to make us look at the world in a more whimsical way. I use oil, water, paintbrushes, and pencils to display my trippy interpretation of the world as an expression of my curious mind. I hope my work makes you pause, makes you look for the small details, and makes you feel my deep love for this world and for making art.
Why Psychedelic?
The word psychedelic is derived from the Greek for "mind-manifesting", coined by Humphrey Osmond in the 1950s. My art is how I express myself, and it is an exhibition of my mind and its fantastical interpretation of the world. My style is to create works that are explosive with colors that blend seamlessly and contrast with one another, producing art that is fun and thought-provoking. So with that...
