biography
No art school.
Three rules. One style.
Hi, I’m Julia Rybalko. I paint in Lisbon, originally from Ukraine, here since 2016. I don’t have an art degree — my background is technical, which is probably why my lines are engineered instead of drawn, and why my color fields don’t bleed.
I don’t rely on chaotic inspiration or loose brushstrokes. I build my paintings like structures. Clean geometric forms, high-voltage acrylics, razor-sharp black contour — compositions engineered to sit between order and tension, never either one alone.
The work always follows the same three rules: flat color, hard edge, thick black contour. What changes is the subject — a face, an animal, a body, an object.
Every painting begins as an original acrylic on stretched canvas — a singular, one-of-one piece signed and dated on the back. Selected works are released as museum-quality Fine Art Giclée prints in strictly limited, hand-signed, and numbered editions. Once an edition sells out, it is never reproduced.
What I’m not interested in: paintings that match the curtains. Art that waits for the viewer to find meaning. My work is the loudest thing in the room by design — and that’s the whole point. If you’ve read this far, you already know if that’s your wall or not.
philosophy
“I don’t paint interior additions. I paint dominants.”
My art is a direct reaction to the boring and the beige. I use high-voltage colors and thick black lines to create images that grab your attention and don’t let go. It’s not about deep hidden meanings; it’s about how a single canvas can change the entire mood of a room.
I believe your walls should have a personality. A painting should be the reason the room makes sense — the center of gravity, not a pleasant addition to it.
THE PROCESS
How the painting
gets built
01
The Architecture
I start with a raw idea and a sharp pencil. I sketch the geometry until the rhythm feels right. It’s about building a solid foundation where every shape has its place. This is the skeleton of the piece before the color brings it to life.
02
The Voltage
I use high-quality acrylics to create flat, punchy blocks of color. I layer the paint until the hue is so intense it almost vibrates. Using masking tape for those razor-sharp edges, I make sure the transition between colors is flawless.
03
The Lockdown
The black contour is where the magic happens. It’s the final frame that locks everything together. I don’t stop until the painting looks finished enough to be the only thing you notice when you walk into the room. It’s made to stand out, plain and simple.