My name is Elena Derksen, I am an emerging artist, who is currently a Milan Art Institute student.
My fascination for art began in the third grade, watching my best friend drawing a princess. Ever since i was determined to be an artist. My skills and love for painting developed over the years and I enjoy how it helps me to connect with my inner self.
I was born and raised in Kazakhstan, where I enjoyed a happy childhood. At the age of 17 I moved to Germany where I met my husband, got married and had two kids. As a family, we decided to move to Canada, where we still reside, and I create my Art. We love to travel and enjoy other cultures.
My Art is influence by the places I have lived and visited. The style is abstract realism in a painterly style. I love to paint nature, animals, and people.
Statement
My work is an exploration of memory, nature, and emotional resonance through the language of abstract realism. Each piece begins with inks and unfolds through layered textures, mixed media, and is finished in oil, creating a sense of depth. I am drawn to the tension between seen and felt, form and formlessness.
Animals, landscapes, and traces of the natural world often emerge from abstraction as symbols of intuition, stillness, and transformation. I paint to reveal a world beneath the surface — one shaped by reverie, memory, and the deep need to create something meaningful. At its core, my crafting is about painting spaces where imagination and nature meet - where viewers are invited to pause, reflect, and feel. Each person experiences Art differently. If the Art resonates through the life experience of the viewer, the connection will happen and and they fall in love with the piece.