Biography

ETHEL VORONKOVA
Brandford, ON

Ethel Voronkova is a Brantford, Ontario-based abstract artist whose paintings explore memory, emotion, and personal experience. Born in the Philippines, Ethel moved to Canada with her family at the age of nine. She studied Fine Art at Centennial College and later Graphic Design at Humber College before committing to her art practice full-time in 2017.

Working in acrylic on raw, unprimed canvas, Ethel uses a soak-stain process influenced by Helen Frankenthaler, allowing colour to absorb directly into the fabric before building additional layers over the surface. She deliberately leaves portions of the stained canvas exposed, creating depth and giving the paintings a loose, open quality. Ethel works intuitively rather than from a fixed plan, drawing on memories, emotions, landscapes, and everyday experiences as a painting develops. Her muted, earthy palettes and simplified forms give her work a sense of quiet and restraint, while the shifting shapes and layered colour create landscapes that feel familiar without depicting a specific place.

— "My goal is for those who experience my art to leave with a sense of calmness and a deep appreciation for life."