Dasha Pears, Signing piece Doubt, 2019. Image courtesy of the artist

"I was always bored with the way things looked in real life and was searching for an escape to a different dimension."

"Now I realize the different dimension is here—there's no need to escape—you just need to take a new angle and try looking at things from a fresh perspective," —Dasha Pears

Artwork Archive's Featured Artist Dasha Pears is known for her distinct style she calls "psychorealism," and focuses on portraying what might be going on in our inner worlds. 

Her unique take on "psycho-realism" stems from a blend of her childhood fascination with fantasy and a deep, scholarly interest in psychology developed during her university years and beyond. 

Dasha's art, characterized by its uncanny simplicity and aesthetic cleanliness, makes the unseen forces of our emotions visible and tangible. She aspires for each piece to serve as a safe space for her viewers and hopes that some difficult emotions become a bit easier to accept.

Artwork Archive had the chance to chat with Dasha Pears more about the idea of psycho-realism, insights she has for other artists, and how Artwork Archive helps her manage her art career. ​ 

You can see more of her work on Discovery and learn more about her art practice below:

Portrait of Dasha Pears. Photo courtesy of the artist

Do you have a favorite or most satisfying part of your creative process? If so, can you share a bit about it?

Currently, my favorite parts of the process are ideation and editing.

Ideation is when I have a blank canvas and anything is possible. My mind wanders, catching streams of interest here and there, connecting unexpected dots. The best moments are those when my imagination finds a trigger—an interesting visual, a color combination, or an idea I heard in a podcast or read in a book. 

Editing is very similar for me: anything is possible, only now with the materials that I have, like shots from some exciting location. I can arrange the pieces of the shoot as pieces of a puzzle until I achieve an intriguing final image, one that should surprise me as much as future viewers.

 

What initially inspired you to create art in the unique style of psychorealism?

I think I was always bored with the way things looked in real life and was always searching for an escape to a different dimension.

Now I realize the different dimension is here—there’s no need to escape—you just need to take a new angle and try looking at things from a fresh perspective.

The surrealistic look of psychorealism comes from my childhood obsession with fantasy and science fiction. I've been interested in psychology since my university years but only started diving deeper into the topic about 5-6 years ago, which I believe marked the beginning of the development of my psycho-realistic style.

Dasha Pears, Sun, 2021

How do you balance aesthetic beauty with the deeper, sometimes darker themes in your work?

The need and deep desire for aesthetics, clean compositions, and symmetry are ingrained in my brain.

I think this is how my mind makes sense of life's chaos and gains some illusion of safety and control. However, aesthetics for the sake of aesthetics can also be boring, so I use my gift to see beauty to explore topics that are not always beautiful or pleasant.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to combine these two aspects, and in doing so, remind myself and others who might be interested that there’s beauty in darkness and darkness in beauty—it’s all intertwined. 

There's beauty in darkness and darkness in beauty—it's all intertwined.

 

What impact do you hope your work will have on those who view it?

I hope to contribute to the world becoming a more peaceful place and to inspire people to get closer to being at peace with themselves.

 

With the benefit of hindsight, what’s something you wish you knew before becoming a professional artist? 

I wish I had known that there are no rules to follow and there is complete freedom once you commit to being an artist. 

For many, this will sound like a no-brainer, but my organized mind was (and sometimes still is) trying to view what others are doing as though their actions, principles, and ways of creating and being in the art world are laws set in stone. Of course, this is not true.

Art is freedom, and freedom is art!

Dasha Pears, Nesting, 2023

What are you listening to lately? While you’re in the studio, do you have any "go-to's" that you like to listen to?

I used to listen to audiobooks (sometimes fiction) and podcasts on psychology, neuroscience, self-development, etc., but then I noticed that anything with words would influence the energy and mindset I put into my work. Yet, I want it to be pure and, as I mentioned, often peaceful.

Therefore, I switched to meditative ambient music, which gives me a sense of security and comfort that translates into my work.

Sometimes, however, the educational material I’m listening to turns out to be a perfect fit for some of the images I have yet to edit, and then magic happens: I get a visual story with a really deep message.

For example, the project No.Thing was greatly influenced by the lectures of Alan Watts. The project Maze was created while diving into the series of talks on Eastern and Western mythology by Joseph Campbell—The Hero’s Journey. 

 

How do you use Artwork Archive on a daily basis? 

The beauty of the tool is that I don’t have to use it daily!

Artwork Archive stores all the information on my works, editions, projects, materials, exhibitions, galleries, and collectors in one place, so I can be stress-free and focus on my art.

I love that ALL of my overwhelming data is neatly organized and is always at hand. My favorite part, of course, is marking sales and adding new pieces. 

Dasha Pears, Tree Of Life, 2022

Why did you decide to use Artwork Archive to inventory your artwork and manage your art career?

My records on editions, sales, collectors, as well as my entire portfolio were scattered across a number of places, and I kept losing important data.

I also couldn’t say with confidence which edition of which piece to sell next, how many pieces I have in my portfolio in general, or exactly how many and which pieces each gallery had and for how long. It was a nightmare, to be honest. I needed a solution, and after evaluating a few platforms, I came to love Artwork Archive!

 

What advice would you give an artist who’s just starting out in their professional career?

Everyone is afraid of the unknown before they step into it and it becomes known, well, at least some bit of it.

You’ll be terrified of some steps in your career and life, but you need to take them anyway to get to the other side. Focus on the present and make sure you enjoy every moment of your process.

If it doesn’t bring you joy, it may be time to turn in a different direction. 

Dasha Pears with piece Sun in My Sails, 2021

Dasha Pears uses Artwork Archive to organize her artwork, keep track of her editions, present herself professionally, and a whole lot more.

You can make an online portfolio, catalog your artwork, and generate reports like inventory reports, tear sheets, and invoices in seconds with Artwork Archive. Take a look at Artwork Archive's free trial and start growing your art business.