Jelena Martinović is a contemporary expressionist painter whose bold and energetic paintings are influenced mostly by nature as well as personal growth and development.
Her paintings depict man’s relationship with nature, as well as the influence of nature on man and man on nature.
I’d feel a profound sense of camaraderie, thankfulness, and vitality in nature. I spent a lot of time as a child exploring the outdoors and being around animals. I also enjoyed climbing trees and dangling from the highest branches of an old cherry tree that grew in my backyard.
I grew up in Varazdin, a little town with lots of greenery. When I was a little child, my father used to take me for nature walks in Varazdin and along the banks of the Drava River. I continued to spend the most of my free time outdoors as I got older and grew more in love with horses. My urge to spend time in nature grew every day.
At the age of 18, I relocated to Zagreb to enroll in the Academy of Fine Arts. I didn’t like living in such a big city, but after adopting a dog named Tara, I started going on hikes and exploring the nearby countryside, notably Medvednica. When I first went to Velebit in 2004, I developed a strong love for the enigmatic mountain, which later became a never-ending source of inspiration for my paintings. After enrolling in an alpinist school, I began practicing alpinism in 2005. In 2007, I participated in the First Croatian Women’s Alpinist Expedition on Cho Oy, an 8,201-meter-high Himalayan mountain. This significant life challenge stripped me completely, displaying not just the immense power and splendor of nature, but also my own strength, which is primarily a strength of spirit. Because staying alive in such hostile circumstances requires strong willpower and mental organization. I got there with the help of my heart, and I got to safety with the help of my spirit.
My paintings now center on examining my inner power and spirituality as well as how nature affects me. I try to convey to the viewer in my paintings my relationship to and experience of nature, as well as how it elevates and fortifies me.
In 2006, after earning my diploma from the Zagreb School of Fine Arts, I began my career in the arts. I put painting on hold as I turned my attention to graphic design in preparation for the upcoming crisis. Next came getting married and starting a family. I had three wonderful children and completely gave myself over to motherhood, putting painting on the wayside. I’ve always understood that painting is what I’m meant to do, and I became more and more unhappy and uncomplete as my life lacked creativity.
I decided to return after almost ten years, when the kids were grown. I realized that suppressing my creative energy harmed both me and those around me and that I need to paint almost as much as I need to eat and drink.I work quickly and fluidly, frequently creating several works of art at once. My inspiration comes from the nature, its alterations, as well as the development of my soul. Through my paintings, I explore the ways that nature and works of art have an impact on the spectator in various spheres of our existence. How far we can go inside ourselves by spending time in nature and contemplating a piece of art. The language of the soul, art invites the observer to re-connect with oneself. In a similar way, nature awakens us, taps into our basic core, and brings out our best selves. I wish to spread the idea that the blending of art and nature is good for human wellbeing on a worldwide scale.