Art Transforming Our Life’s Canvas: Intuition, and the Traces We Leave Behind
- Leila Ghasempor
- Jun 8
- 11 min read
Updated: Jun 10
Introduction:
Born in Omsk, Siberia, and shaped by Ukrainian and Russian heritage, Redwood City-based artist Yelena Joy Chen works across diverse mediums—from painting and resin to wallpaper and wood, inspired deeply by nature and flowers. For Yelena, art is a process of uncovering and transformation: a reflection of how we continuously create and reshape our lives through the choices we make. Her work celebrates the beauty of change, turning blank surfaces and raw materials into deeply personal, expressive forms.
“What I like about art is creation and transformation. I can see how a blank piece of paper transforms into a new painting or pieces of material create a unique quilt. Creating art is such a close metaphor for creating life. We create ourselves every day and transform our lives as we choose to.”_Yelena Joy Chen
Figure 2. Yelena in her studio #102 at Art Bias alongside her artworks, ranging from ocean resin pieces to mixed-media and realistic paintings.
Where It All Started → Turning Point to Art
Leila (PEOPLE AROUND US): Yelena, your background is quite unique, moving from a career as a pediatrician and medical psychologist into the world of professional art. How did this transformation begin, and do you view art as your "second act"?
Yelena: I was always fascinated by art; my mom says I was drawing from the moment I could hold a pencil. I wanted to be an artist, but my mother was adamant that I pursue medicine. Being an obedient child, I did. Yet, art was always there. During my medical school entrance exams, I drew all the organs and body systems by hand. The professor looked at my drawings, was impressed and I passed! So, I don’t really see art as a “second act” because it was never absent from my life. It simply became the part of me that eventually moved to the forefront.
The Art of Reinvention
Leila: In your bio, you mention that creating art is a metaphor for creating life. You’ve said:
“...maybe this is why after retiring from medicine, I am delighted to coach clients who are both seeking to realize who they really are and willing to radically reinvent themselves. I see magic in transformation and we are the most magnificent art piece we will ever create.”
As an artist, do you think art can change or transform us, especially when we are an artist ourselves?
Yelena: Absolutely. With each piece I create, I uncover more of myself. Every brushstroke reveals a different part of who I am, as I allow intuition to guide both my hands and my heart. Through art, I discover the depths of my joy, grief, longing, and healing.
I am constantly transforming alongside my creations; every finished piece marks the end of who I was and the beginning of who I will become. Art reminds me that I am never static—I am always moving, evolving, and becoming.
Figure 3. A piece from Yelena's Symphony of Hearts series, featuring resin on wood and dried flowers on a coffee table surface.
A Language of Mediums
Leila: Your work spans mixed media, resin, oil, and even memory journals. There is a distinct delicacy in your pieces—from Siberian snowflakes to deep red floral palettes. Among all these materials, which medium do you feel most connected to?
Yelena: My relationship with materials is intuitive and emotional, rather than fixed. I allow each subject to “ask” for its own material language. There’s a misconception that serious work must come from technically demanding or permanent mediums. But sometimes, the most alive work comes from materials that let you stay closest to pure feeling without friction. For practical reasons, I often use watercolor, pencils, and markers because they are portable and let me respond immediately to emotions wherever I am.
Figure 4. A selection of Yelena's resin works, including coasters and a side table.
Traces of the Eternal
Leila: There is a visible thread of spirituality and meditation in your work. You preserve the beauty of dried flowers in resin, cherish wishes in wooden boxes, and integrate natural elements like shells, sand, and feathers into your latest pieces. By placing human subjects alongside these elements in an "eternal landscape," how does your personal philosophy or background influence this connection between humanity and nature?
Yelena: My philosophy is rooted in the belief that we are an intrinsic part of nature. When life becomes overwhelming, we feel a primal urge to return to the woods, the ocean, or the mountains to find peace. That draw isn't accidental; we hold the memories of the earth in our heart and soul. When I place human subjects alongside natural elements in an "eternal landscape," I am exploring that cellular bond. Preserving these fleeting elements is a way of locking that connection in time. Remembering our roots and reconnecting with our origins to heal—that is exactly what I call spirituality.
Leila: Beautifully said. Nature holds our memories, and you trace them back onto the canvas
Figure 5. Sacred Things We Cherish memory boxes, wood, ceramic, mixed media.
Healing Through Collective Memory
Leila: Your work often bridges the gap between personal emotion and shared responsibility. Regarding your Sacred Things We Cherish memory boxes, you shared:
“After one woman purchased two boxes... she sent me a message saying that her mom has passed away and she found those boxes to be so comforting... it was very very reassuring that the energy was what I put into those boxes of peace and kind of working through the grief and loss of my dad then was transferred to somebody who could find comfort.”
You also organized over 500 volunteers for a beach clean-up for your Symphony of Hearts resin project. It seems you are still "healing" people, just through a different lens. How does it feel to see your art provide this kind of comfort or healing?
Yelena: It brings me immense joy. It’s a beautiful cycle: what starts as a deeply personal feeling in my own hands radiates outward to offer a soft place for someone else to land. When a work makes someone pause, breathe deeper, and reconnect with themselves, it proves how deeply intertwined we are. It bridges our inner worlds, offering the exact kind of comfort and peace the world needs right now.
Leila: That resonates so deeply. It reminds me of what the philosopher Edward Said noted—that when people truly pause in front of a work of art, that moment of reflection actually brings them back to themselves, reconnecting them with their very existence. Your work acts as that rare invitation to slow down and remember who we are.
The Ritual of Transformation: How Experience brings New Interpretation to a Piece
Leila: Can the passage of time, or the way a person interacts with a piece, bring a new interpretation that surprises you?
Yelena: Absolutely. I was once commissioned to paint a piece for a couple's Heart Art experience (Figure. 6), where I tune into their energy and paint their essence. While working, I intuitively saw a single red rose suspended in the cosmos, alongside exactly five golden brushstrokes. I didn't rationally know what it meant; I just trusted the impulse. During the reveal, the couple burst into tears. They explained that a red rose was a deeply significant symbol from their wedding ceremony, and the wife looked closer and said, "Those five golden brushstrokes—those are our five children." That taught me a piece isn't finished when I put down the brush; it comes fully alive when the viewers bring their own history to it.
This experience taught me to trust those mysterious creative impulses, even when I don’t yet have the words to explain them.
Figure 6. The Single Red Rose (as the alchemy union points out, symbolizes the mystic center), from The Heart Art series, acrylic on canvas
Leila: That is incredibly moving, and it resonates with me so deeply. I had a similar epiphany while creating a series of conceptual performance and modern dance works centered around the image of a door. It was only as I finished the final piece that the true meaning hit me hard: I suddenly recalled a traumatic moment from high school when I lost my father and ran outside, desperately knocking on neighbors' doors for help. Like you, I realized that our subconscious often processes our deepest grief and memories through our art long before our logical minds can find the words for it.
Power in the Palette
Leila: What is your artistic signature? Your new series uses a striking palette of red, black, white, and gold. What draws you to these specific colors, and how do you decide when the "golden sun" or the "red rose" takes center stage? Where do you draw your inspiration?
Yelena: My visual signature is simply letting intuition lead. Eternal Whispers is a deep dive into the alchemy of a limited palette. The series is distinctively graphic, combining fine archival ink with the rich textures of gold leaf. Working this way requires absolute presence—ink on white paper leaves no room for error. Because I let the narrative guide me, I never decide ahead of time what will take center stage. For instance, when painting Cloud Weavers Rose, I began by drawing a woman moving through clouds. Suddenly, in a flash of clarity, I saw a rose materialize in her hands. She was weaving a rose out of the mist. I don't force elements into the composition; I just create the space and watch the magic reveal itself.
Figure 7. A selection of paintings from Yelena's Whispers of the Eternal series, using ink, gold leaf, archival marker, and natural elements like feathers on paper.
Winged Messengers
Leila: In your new painting series, Whispers of the Eternal, cranes and wings appear frequently in pieces like Petal, Wing, and Silence. What do these messengers represent to you?
Yelena: Eternal Whispers is a personal response to a world shaped by polarities, reflected in the restrained black-and-white ink work. Yet, within these limitations lies quiet revelation. Each composition is framed with gold line work, anchoring the spiritual into the tangible space. Through these symbolic figures and mythic elements, the series becomes a meditation on the subtle forces that guide us: memory, spirit, intuition, and the unspoken language of beauty. The works invite the viewer to slow down and see how fragility and strength can coexist within the same breath.
Presence in the Process
Leila: Can you walk us through your working process? Which moment brings you the most joy, and which part feels like the greatest challenge to overcome?
Yelena: My process often begins with the surface itself—a sheet of textured paper immediately suggests a landscape waiting to emerge. The practical challenge is that materials like handmade paper or epoxy resin have their own nature; it’s a constant collaboration with the unpredictable. Internally, my biggest hurdle has been learning to trust this unfolding process rather than trying to force the work to be marketable. In the beginning, the direction is always murky, but every painting hits a threshold where everything suddenly clicks into perfect harmony. That is the moment of pure joy for me.
The Breath of Transformation
Leila: In your wallpaper pieces, you play with the negative space and fluid forms of existing patterns, transforming them into something entirely new. What is it like to bring "new life" to a surface that already carries a history?
Yelena: Yes, absolutely, I am deeply drawn to materials that hold a past life. When I work with patterned wallpaper, I don't see a blank surface; I see a dialogue. The existing patterns and imperfections guide my imagination. I love the idea of revealing something unexpected within the ordinary, allowing a surface that was once purely decorative to evolve into something emotionally resonant. My broader philosophy is about seeing potential where others don't, and trusting that beauty can emerge through layering, experimentation, and transformation.
Figure 8. Painting on wallpaper, from left to right; Farrel, Keeper of the Wild Bloom Farrel evokes the quiet bond between instinct and intuition. A richly symbolic portrait blending feminine mystique with the protective spirit of the wolf. Intricate floral and nocturnal tones create a dreamlike atmosphere exploring intuition, resilience, and the sacred connection between beauty and wildness. Modern Madonna:Integration of self, this painting re-imagines the Madonna as a modern woman carrying both fracture and beauty. The layered forms and luminous halo symbolize the reconciliation of shadow, strength, vulnerability, and feminine power."
From Glass to Paper
Leila: Your earlier work with wood and resin captured the fragility of ice and winter. Does working on paper feel entirely different, or does that same "winter spirit" carry over?
Yelena: The emotional connection is exactly the same. Resin allowed me to capture transparency, preservation, and the quiet tension of suspended winter landscapes; something unpredictable held between strength and delicacy. Paper, on the other hand, feels more intimate and immediate; it absorbs and reveals every raw gesture.
But both materials share a deep fascination with atmosphere, subtle transformation, and surfaces that hold memory and imperfection. Even in the wallpaper pieces, there’s a sense of erosion, softness, and layering. It’s less about depicting winter literally, and more about carrying its spiritual qualities into everything I touch: stillness, vulnerability, silence, and the profound beauty that emerges from restraint and fragility.
A Final Whisper
Leila: If someone stands in front of your work and takes away just one feeling or whisper, what do you hope that is?
Yelena: I hope they leave with a sense of quiet wonder; a feeling that there is more depth and meaning hidden within ordinary things than we normally notice. I want the work to feel like a subtle whisper that stays with them emotionally. An awakening of a memory, a mood, or a part of themselves they cannot fully explain. I just hope it invites people to slow down, look closer, and experience the delicate tension between fragility and transformation.
Figure 10. Some of Yelena's journals from repurposing papers using FabMo Materials.
FabMo Influence and Sustainability
Leila: Many of your wallpaper works and memory journals begin with materials that already carry a past life. Through your volunteer work with FabMo, you transform forgotten surfaces into something deeply personal and expressive. What draws you to reclaimed materials, and what stories do you feel they already hold before you begin creating? Does working with rescued materials change the way you think about beauty, memory, or waste?
Yelena: It actually started very personally in my own studio. I felt sad throwing away beautiful high-end paper scraps from my large watercolor pieces, so I began assembling them by hand into small sketchbooks and journals. Later, volunteering with FabMo completely expanded my perspective. They introduced me to an incredible variety of surplus materials I didn't even know existed.
Working with rescued materials made me realize how many inspiring items already exist in the world, waiting to be reimagined. I want other creatives to know about resources like FabMo because these materials can bring so much life to schools, studios, and community spaces. We did the same thing recently by repurposing used surfboards. Objects once connected to personal adventures on the water were transformed into lasting art pieces for the owners' homes. Their history didn't disappear; it became a legacy piece, preserving a lifetime of emotion and memory through art.
Leila: Thank you so much, Yelena, for sharing your journey and your inspiring work with the People Around Us audience.
Inspire • Create • Connect
As part of the People Around Us interview series, I invite readers to reflect on how each conversation might inform and enrich their own creative journey. Inspired by the artist's insights and experiences, these reflections highlight ideas that resonate beyond the interview itself.
Inspire
Trust Your Intuition: Let inner guidance shape your choices in art and life.
Listen to the Environment: Find inspiration in everyday natural rhythms and raw elements.
Create
Embrace the Unpredictable: Value exploration and unexpected discoveries over rigid outcomes.
Practice Creative Reuse: Look at discarded, rescued, or surplus materials with new eyes, transforming what already exists.
Connect
Weave Community: Use art as a tool to build dialogue and understanding.
Participate in the Cycle: Engage with local reuse networks like FabMo to share resources, keeping materials in the hands of creators and out of landfills.
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