Yana Gordin, a Los Angeles–raised and based artist, art therapist, and licensed psychotherapist, creates work that bridges the realms of nature, psychology, and human experience. Her latest piece, Deep Mystic Tree (2025), is a vivid example of her ability to transform abstract ideas into immersive visual narratives. Using acrylic, pigments, ink, and oil pastel on canvas, she explores the unseen dimensions of perception, intuition, and connection.
Deep Mystic Tree: The Artwork
Deep Mystic Tree is more than an image; it is a living presence. This ancient, conscious being, with its third eye hidden beneath layers of bark and branch, is rooted in the earth yet attuned to unseen realms. It perceives beyond ordinary sight, transmitting and receiving silent signals through an organic, telepathic network.
Its vision is quiet but vast, sensing the subtle pulses of energy that connect all living things. The work becomes a portrait of perception itself, rooted, intuitive, and deeply alive. Through textured layers of color and material, Yana mirrors the complexity of awareness, reminding viewers that understanding often lies beneath the surface.
Under shifting lighting, whether natural daylight, UV illumination, or total darkness, the tree transforms, revealing new facets of itself. This mutable quality reflects how perception changes depending on context, emotion, and perspective.
Early Life and the Language of Art
Yana Gordin’s journey began at the age of five when she immigrated with her parents from Moscow, Russia, to Los Angeles, California. Unable to speak English, she found her first form of communication in art class, where colors and shapes became her voice. This early experience of using creativity as a bridge to connect with others became a lifelong foundation.
Art as Healing
While pursuing her BA in Psychology at California State University, Northridge in 2009, Yana faced the sudden loss of her father. Art became a vital outlet for grief, offering both expression and release. It was during an abstract art class that she found a freedom unlike anything she had known before.
Just a year later, in 2010, she had her first art show in Downtown Los Angeles. Her work caught the attention of Artspace Warehouse in West Hollywood, CA, and she joined a group exhibition at CSUN. This momentum led to numerous exhibitions and art shows over the years, establishing her presence in the contemporary art scene.
Psychology, Art Therapy, and Creative Insight
Deeply moved by the transformative power of art, the artist pursued graduate studies, earning an MA in Psychology with a focus in Marriage and Family Therapy / Art Therapy in 2014, followed by a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Applied Clinical Psychology in 2017.
In 2020, she became a licensed psychotherapist, integrating creativity into her clinical work. Her understanding of transference, free association, and the conscious-unconscious dialogue informs her painting process, allowing her to create pieces that speak to the emotional undercurrents of human life.
A Return to Abstract Expressionism
In 2024, Yana returned to her abstract painting roots with renewed purpose. Her current work, including Deep Mystic Tree, blends psychological insight with nature-inspired abstraction. Each piece evolves under different lighting conditions, engaging the viewer in an ever-changing experience that mirrors the fluid landscapes of the mind and spirit.
This dynamic interaction is intentional: it challenges the idea of a fixed perspective and invites contemplation of how perception shifts over time. In her hands, a canvas becomes not just an image, but an active participant in the dialogue between viewer and artwork.
Beyond Painting: Writing and Teaching
In 2023, Yana published Beyond The Veil: Navigating Grief Through Spirituality, Religion, and Alternative Methods, a book that reflects her dedication to exploring diverse approaches to healing. Her writing, like her art, addresses the layered nature of human experience and the ways we navigate loss, transformation, and growth.
Balancing her private psychotherapy practice with her art career, she continues to create works that encourage deep reflection and emotional engagement. Her dual expertise in psychology and fine art gives her a rare perspective, one that perceives both the visible and the invisible, the conscious and the subconscious.
Deep Mystic Tree in Perspective
Within the intricate lines and layers of Deep Mystic Tree, the viewer encounters a metaphor for intuitive vision. The third eye becomes a symbol of wisdom beyond reason, an awareness rooted in both earthly grounding and spiritual expansiveness.
For some, the work may evoke a sense of quiet connection to nature’s intelligence; for others, it may spark curiosity about the unseen threads that weave all living beings together. Its meaning is fluid, shifting with each encounter, much like the work itself under different lights.
Conclusion
Yana Gordin’s life and work are deeply intertwined; her personal story, academic journey, and creative expression form an interconnected whole. Deep Mystic Tree stands as a testament to her belief that art can be both a mirror and a doorway: reflecting inner truths while opening pathways to deeper understanding.
Rooted in earth yet attuned to unseen realms, the tree invites us to expand our own perception, to feel rather than simply see, and to listen for the silent wisdom that flows through all living things. In this way, her work reminds us that perception is an art in itself, one that grows, shifts, and deepens with time.
