Autumn Leaves 2004

Tetyana Yablonska made this drawing, Autumn Leaves, with pastels, and it's all about touch. I imagine Yablonska standing at her window, feeling the cool light, and trying to capture that moment with quick, flickering marks. It looks like she built up layers of yellows and greens, smudging and blending them with her fingers to create a soft, hazy atmosphere. See how the white pastel catches the light on the leaves, giving them a sense of weightlessness, as if they're about to float away? It’s like she's trying to hold onto the last bits of summer before winter sets in. You know, I think of other artists like Joan Mitchell, who used color and gesture to express emotion. Yablonska’s drawing is softer, more intimate, but it has that same sense of urgency, of trying to capture something fleeting. It shows how artists are always in conversation with each other. We're all just trying to make sense of the world and share our experiences through paint, or in this case, pastel.