Painting · Sculpture · Mixed media
Surreal, figurative works where people and the natural world meet in unexpected ways. Born in Ukraine, working in Texas and the mountains of western North Carolina.
Original paintings
2026
Acrylic, oil, and gold foil on paper
22 × 30 in
A bee approaches an abstract honeycomb from which golden honey drips. Gold foil highlights the honey, drawing a visual connection between its value and that of gold.
Available · $1,800
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2026
Acrylic and oil on canvas
36 × 36 in
A couple shares a kiss as their boat glides peacefully through a pond of lily pads. Beneath the water, a woman's face emerges, guiding the boat effortlessly through the pond.
Available · $4,200
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2026
Acrylic, oil, and gold foil on canvas
18 × 24 in
A fetal figure rests curled within a large, organic flower form. Delicate gold foil details contrast with the dark background and softly colored petals.
Available · $1,600
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2026
Acrylic and oil on canvas
18 × 24 in
An underwater scene depicts a woman sitting happily among red poppies growing inside an ornate bathtub. Gentle ripples move through the surrounding blue water.
Available · $1,800
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Painting on paper
Size and details on request
A leopard in profile lifts its gaze upward, its spotted coat catching a rim of light against a deep green ground.
Available · Price on request
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Painting on canvas
Size and details on request
A woman stands waist-deep in a green pond, holding a red fox close as ripples spread across the water beside her.
Available · Price on request
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Painting on canvas
Size and details on request
A woman cloaked in wildflowers leans against a great bear, where a snowy winter forest meets a sunlit summer wood.
Available · Price on request
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Painting on canvas
Size and details on request
A raven perched on a weathered branch looks back over its shoulder against a luminous blue ground.
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Painting on canvas
Size and details on request
A black leopard sits in a snowy forest clearing, lit by a soft glow and flecks of gold among dark trees.
Available · Price on request
Inquire about this workOriginally from Ukraine, Iryna Herbst has been drawn to creativity and artistic expression since childhood. Although her professional journey initially led her into accounting and medicine, her passion for art remained a constant presence in her life.
Beginning as a self-taught artist and later pursuing formal artistic training, Iryna developed a multidisciplinary practice encompassing painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Her work brings together figurative imagery, elements of nature, and surreal compositions, often combining materials and techniques to create unexpected visual relationships.
Ultimately, her desire to create led her to pursue art as a full-time career. Today, she explores a range of artistic media, including acrylic, oil, gold foil, and sculptural forms, creating imaginative works that invite viewers to discover their own meanings and interpretations.
I am interested in the space between what we see and what we imagine.
I create surreal, figurative paintings that bring human figures and elements of the natural world into unexpected relationships. Through expressive color, layered imagery, and varied materials, I create scenes that feel at once recognizable and impossible.
My paintings are not intended to prescribe a single story or meaning. I am interested in the space between what we see and what we imagine, and in how each viewer's experiences shape their encounter with an image. Rather than offering definitive answers, I leave room for curiosity, discovery, and personal interpretation.
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Questions about a work, a studio visit or a commission. Iryna replies personally.
Studio notes
New work, upcoming shows and first looks before anywhere else. A few emails a year.