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Dasha Slastyon

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Dasha Slastyon specializes in painting and mixed media. Being proficient in oil, watercolor and acrylic painting techniques, she also received formal education in South Korea, acquiring knowledge of oriental painting. Her work mirrors the amalgamation of Eastern and Western world-views, blending tradition and composition techniques. Dasha often works with unconventional materials, incorporating sculpture elements and using foil, stickers, acrylic screens, mirrored paper to achieve interesting textures in her painting. Most of the pieces share the same larger theme: life with its all ups and downs. Some of the work explore shame, guilt, embarrassment, while others explore growth, deep profound joy, and philosophical/spiritual searchings of the soul. Despite largely featuring symbolic elements and subtle metaphors rather than straightforward storytelling, the paintings often resonate with audiences who relate to the experiences the characters go through and raw human emotion the pieces provoke. Dasha is an expert in color, too. She uses vivid colors with seemingly contrasting hues to exacerbate the emotions one might feel while encountering her work.

Specializing in painting and mixed media, Dasha Slastyon works across oil, watercolor and acrylic, blending Eastern and Western visual traditions. After formal studies in South Korea, she incorporates Oriental painting techniques into her compositions, often adding unconventional materials, sculptural elements, foil, stickers, acrylic screens or mirrored paper, to create richly textured surfaces. Her pieces collectively explore the full arc of life, from shame, guilt and embarrassment to growth, deep joy and spiritual searching. A masterful colorist, she pairs vivid, seemingly contrasting hues to heighten the emotional experience of each piece.

Artist Interview


Q: Can you describe the moment you realised art was more than just a hobby - when it became something you felt deeply called to pursue?


A: I can never be normal about the things I like—I always seem to become mildly obsessive. I discovered I could draw when I was nine years old, and I realized that if I practiced every single day, I would get better and better. That lured me in.


However, art wasn’t the only thing I really liked, and choosing a future career path as a teenager was rough. I ultimately decided to dedicate myself to visual arts when I realized that nothing else made me feel as free and powerful. I never felt the urge to compete or compare myself to other artists (which I can’t say about my other interests). With art, I feel confident and secure as I am. It makes me feel seen and understood more than anything else.


Q: Tell us about your go-to studio rituals or favourite tools that ground you each day. How did they become essential to your process?


A: Cliche, but music is very important to my working process. I often take breaks in between creating by dancing. Movement helps me stretch and work stale muscles, which is important if you're working in the studio the whole day! It also helps regulate and ground my nervous system; I highly recommend dancing to get rid of stress.

Interview
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