Masha Foya’s Airy Illustrations Embrace the Universality of Emotions

Where the blue sky breaks through the tree canopy or light reflects onto the surface of a pond, illustrator Masha Foya summons moments of joy and surprise. The Kyiv-based artist’s dreamlike illustrations often portray spaces and individuals in emotional or experiential states, as if the entire environment morphs into a single living being. Hands clasp over the arc of a foliage tunnel, for example, and a plane sails through an aperture shaped like a bird in flight. Seemingly enclosed spaces often converge with the sky or the cosmos, alluding to the boundlessness of imagination and feeling.

The work shown here comprises both personal and commissioned projects. Foya is currently working on developing a number of book covers for Ukrainian publishing houses, and she is also collaborating with Scientific American and the German newspaper DIE ZEIT. Her work is also included in two exhibitions, Illustroteka and Everything Is Translation, organized by Pictoric. See more on Foya’s Behance and Instagram.

an illustration by Masha Foya of a woman looking up at a dreamlike interior scene that is also full of birds and planets — “One Summer Morning”

an illustration by Masha Foya of a green tunnel of foliage with the outlines of hands intertwining — “Tunnel of Love”

an illustration by Masha Foya of a house set amid some trees under a blue sky, which glows red and a large hand reaches out as if going after the house's inhabitants — An illustration for ‘Business Insider’

an illustration by Masha Foya of wind turbines in a field with a woman in the foreground chasing after her hat that's blowing in the wind — Postcard design for Global Wind Day

an illustration by Masha Foya of an ocean scene with the ghostly overlay of a woman's head, wearing a scarf over her hair — A piece representing the letter “X” for ‘Illustroteka’

an illustration by Masha Foya of two people swimming in a clear turquoise sea near some cliffs — “Whispering of the Ionian Sea”

an illustration by Masha Foya of a watery surface with a reflection in the shape of a woman running — “Reflection”

an illustration by Masha Foya of a row of trees over a narrow lane, with a slice of blue sky and a cloud above in the shape of an ice cream cone — “Dreaming in Blue and Green Colors”

an illustration by Masha Foya of storks flying against a pink background — “The Stork”

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