Yellena James was born in 1977 in Sarajevo, Bosnia. When she turned 18 she moved to the US. After gaining her BA in painting and graphic design at UCF, she eventually made her way to Portland, OR. Preferring pens, inks, markers and acrylics, she combines complex abstract forms into dazzling images arrangements of organic shapes and tangled lines are at once floral and alien, organic and sci-fi. 

I love the way she forms her shapes into visceral structures, showing a side to the vivid shapes that is only seen in her work. The way James constructs her drawings into cell-like figures; curling each individual one into each other; layering blobs of bright pinks, fluorescent blues and soothing oranges is masterful, showing her precision beautifully. Yellena James inspires me because of the way she uses vibrant colours in what would normally be quite bland scenes. The vibrancy of her work is calming. She uses inks in an ethereal way, fusing hues together, creating clouds of colour.