Beyond the Stilness
Green summer landscape
Pastel by Mena
Size: 11x14
About Mena
Mena Levit – Artist Statement
A classical opera singer & voice teacher by trade, I have always been interested in art, but never formally trained on it. A few years ago I had the opportunity to attend a pastel demonstration by Robin Frisella. I immediately fell in love with the style and vibrant nature of the medium, and began watching online beginner videos and attending various classes/workshops taught by accomplished local pastel artists. This improved my painting skills dramatically and brought my work to a completely different level. Recently my work has been juried into multitude of highly competitive local, National/International pastel shows through the country, and have won numerous awards.
I’m a Member of Copley Society of Art, Juried Associate Member of Pastel Society of America, Juried Signature Member of Pastel Society of Cape Cod/Pastel Society of New Hampshire/Central Mass Pastel Society, Juried Exhibiting Member of Wellesley Society of Arts, and North Shore Arts Association.
My favorite subjects are flowers, animals, still life, portraits, and more recently, landscapes. I’m convinced that art must go far beyond technique in order to touch people’s hearts. As a performer, with a significant musical theater background I often find myself attracted to the story behind the character, and try to bring my own personal experience and feelings into my paintings by capturing a very specific emotion and moment. Being able to accomplish this with soft pastels, pencils, and my fingers seems absolutely magical to me, and the results of the creative process never cease to amaze me. Art, like music has become another language of my soul. It offers a fascinating journey of unlimited possibilities for self-expression, and makes me feel free, happy, and complete. I hope my paintings will speak to you too.
Currently I live in Wayland, MA with my husband Gregory. I divide my time between painting, singing, and running a private Vocal Art Studio.