Toma Stenko, *Two Rivers from the Same Bank*, acrylic on canvas, private commission

It’s high time we talked about love. Toma Stenko’s work is an exploration of love in all its aspects - self, others, life. She delves into this complex and life-sustaining emotion through a kaleidoscope of colour.

“I unbelievably love colour. I like researching it endlessly, listening to it, colliding with it, and every time I feel surprised at how little we know about it. It's an infinity...”

The story of the woman in “Two Rivers from the Same Bank” (above) is told through colours. She is surrounded by the pinks, reds, greens and yellows of the conflicting emotions of tenderness, desire, fear, and doubt but the predominant colours are tranquil deep and light blues, showing her ability to maintain an inner balance despite the vagaries of life. The ball at her feet signifies the up-and-down trajectory of romantic love yet knowing this is not central to the story, nor is it necessary for us to see her features in order to feel the deep sense of peace and grace within her.

Toma Stenko, “*Meera*”, 2023, acrylic on canvas

Stenko captures the essence of a feeling and the fluctuation of emotion in a quest “to see the visible in the invisible, the infinite in the finite.”

What do you think the story of “Meera” (above) is? As a hint, the real-life Meera inspired a whole new series of works when she walked into Stenko’s studio at an art residency in Dubai. More on that later.

Toma Stenko, *Cloud of Love*, acrylic on canvas

Toma Stenko’s powerful, often large-scale figurative and abstract paintings balance movement and stillness, colour and form to tell the story of a relationship or an emotion.

“The Cloud of Love” (above) explodes in bursts of deep pinks and yellows against a fluid background of dreamy blues and aquamarines – all movement and energy; the euphoria of falling in love, full of expectations.

By contrast “The Hug” (below) examines through confident lines and expressive colours the family dynamics of a child who is safe and protected within her parents’ embrace; a father who is lost in the sweet reverie of his love; and a mother who alone, eyes wide open, guards and protects her family against the unpredictable forces of the outside world.

Toma Stenko, “*The Hug*”, acrylic on canvas

Toma Stenko is a guest artist with us. For her artist page, click here
For queries, please email me at katrine@katrinelevin.com

Seeing the Invisible