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Iryna Napreieva
CROATIA
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“Watercolor teaches me trust, where control and chance meet.”
Irina Napreeva, known in the art world by her pseudonym Irina Shaft, is a contemporary watercolorist whose practice emerged from a deep inner calling. In 2018 she turned fully to painting, discovering that watercolor was not only a medium but a language through which she could express herself and communicate with others. Since then, watercolor has become the foundation of her work, shaping her vision and providing a pathway for self-reflection, discovery, and connection with the world around her.
Tangerine Garden | Watercolor
$600
X 22
In Croatia, there are beautiful mandarin groves along the Neretva River, near the town of Opuzen.
Every time I drive past, I'm inspired by these little orange suns.
It's a magical land, full of sunlight, the energy of the river, fertile soil, and the care of human hands.
This painting is my tribute to this golden glow. The painting is fully framed and matted. The frame is silver and the mat is white. Shipping is at the buyer's expense.
Her choice of watercolor was far from accidental. The transparency, delicacy, and unpredictability of the medium resonated deeply with her, offering the perfect metaphor for her own creative search. She found that watercolor embodies both discipline and freedom, requiring careful knowledge yet rewarding intuitive risk. In her process, water itself becomes a collaborator, sometimes resisting control and other times producing effects that cannot be planned. This partnership between artist and medium is central to her work, shaping every piece she creates.
Rose | Watercolor
$500
20 X 16
This spring my family and I traveled through Tuscany
We stayed in a cozy family agriturismo — a place where time seems to slow down.
On the property stood a small brick shed, decorated with an old wagon wheel. And right next to it — a Rose It felt like a symbol of the whole trip: simple, yet incredibly beautiful, a living story.
That’s how my watercolor “Rose” was born.
The subjects of her paintings include landscapes, seascapes, flowers, and architectural fragments, often inspired by her travels. Mediterranean coastlines, sunlit courtyards, ancient stone streets, and blooming gardens have all entered her visual vocabulary. Yet her aim is not to reproduce what she sees. She strives instead to capture atmosphere, mood, and the fleeting sensation of contemplation. In each piece she seeks to translate an impression into something the viewer can feel, carrying them into the same moment of reflection that inspired her.
“I paint not objects, but the breath of moments.”
Irina’s style balances realism with interpretation, drawing on direct observation while embracing imagination. Her paintings never aspire to photographic accuracy. What interests her is not replication but the inner rhythm of a scene, the “breath of the moment.” Reality is her starting point, but it is filtered through memory and poetic vision, transforming into something dreamlike and reflective. In this balance of outer and inner worlds, her artistic voice finds clarity.
The lights of Rovinj | Watercolor
$450
14 X 20
This painting was born from my admiration for the evening Rovinj — a charming town on the Adriatic coast. In summer it comes alive: narrow streets fill with music, restaurants serve fragrant Mediterranean cuisine and fine wine, and the waterfront glows with thousands of lights. Their reflections shimmer on the water, creating a sense of celebration, relaxation, and romance. It was exactly this atmosphere — light, vibrant, and inspiring — that I sought to capture in “Lights of Rovinj.”
This painting was inspired by a summer journey through Croatia. On the way to Zagreb, we saw a golden field with neat round hay bales scattered across it. Such landscapes are common in summer, yet they hold a special charm: simple, warm, and deeply peaceful. I captured the scene in a photo and later brought it to life on canvas. For me, this work reflects the spirit of summer, the road, family travel, and the beauty of everyday life.
On the way to Zagreb | Watercolor
$300
12 X 16
She views painting as a lifelong process of growth. Each new work presents both challenge and revelation, affirming her conviction that an artist can never stop learning. Through watercolor she explores transparency, layering, and tonal variation, deepening her mastery while also surrendering to chance. By releasing strict control, she allows water and pigment to take their own paths, producing unanticipated results that become integral to her compositions. For her, this dynamic interplay between mastery and accident is what makes watercolor endlessly alive.
“Through watercolor I explore balance between knowledge and intuition, letting water and pigment create images where landscapes, flowers, and seascapes carry both memory and emotion.”
“Watercolor for me is more than a medium. It is a way of living with awareness, of letting the world speak through color and light. Since I began painting, I have found that the transparency of watercolor reflects the balance I seek between structure and freedom, between what is carefully chosen and what is given by chance. I do not try to replicate the world exactly. Instead, I try to capture an atmosphere, the breath of a moment, the delicate rhythm of a scene as it reveals itself to me. Travel often fills me with impressions, whether it is the boundless horizon of the sea or the fragility of flowers that bloom and fade. These subjects are important, but what matters most is the feeling they awaken. When water and pigment begin to move together across the paper, I feel that art is not only something I make but something I witness. Each painting is a discovery, a dialogue, and an offering. If my work speaks to viewers, I hope it reminds them to pause, to breathe, and to rediscover beauty in small, passing moments.”
Her watercolors are often described as luminous and full of air. She works with subtle transitions, gentle brushstrokes, and delicate tonal shifts to create paintings that breathe with immediacy. Her compositions feel fresh and alive, as if they are unfolding in real time. This interplay of spontaneity and structure infuses her work with energy, allowing viewers to experience not only the subject portrayed but also the pulse of the artist’s own emotion and presence.
Is Arutas. Sardinia | Watercolor
$300
12 X 16
One of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia — Is Arutas. The turquoise sea, the rugged rocks, and the peaceful harmony of nature…
We spent time here with our family, and the more I looked at the view, the more inspired I felt⠀People kept walking toward these stones to take photos — it’s that magical. And the sand… made of pure quartz, soft and rounded like tiny grains of art. This painting is a memory, a piece of that sunny joy I wanted to share.
Irina finds as much inspiration in the process as in her subjects. She delights in the spread of pigment across wet paper, in the surprising forms that emerge from an accident, in the way a brushstroke evolves into meaning. These small discoveries bring her joy and sustain her belief that art is as much about trust as it is about skill. For her, painting is a dialogue with the unexpected, and each work is an opportunity to learn something new about herself and her medium.
Lily | Watercolor
$450
14 X 20
This painting was born during a journey through Tuscany. In a small town, across from the restaurant, I discovered a quiet park with a pond. The sky with soft clouds reflected on the water, while buds and beautiful open lilies floated above, and stones shimmered on the bottom. While waiting for our pasta, I walked to the pond to admire the flowers and capture a few sketches. Flowers are my true passion, and I paint them with special joy.
Travel remains one of the most important sources of inspiration for her practice. Each journey fills her with impressions that resurface later on paper. Among her recurring subjects is the sea, which for her symbolizes both freedom and infinity. Her seascapes capture the rhythm of waves, the shimmer of light on water, and the endless horizon where reality meets dream. Flowers also appear frequently, embodying fragility and resilience. They speak of beauty’s transience but also of life’s capacity for renewal.
This boat caught my eye — resting quietly before summer begins. There was something peaceful and patient in the way it sat on the rocks, watching the horizon. I painted it in Fazana in Croatia at sunset, when the golden sky met the silver sea.
THE BOAT ON THE SHORE | Watercolor
$550
X 22
“Light and air guide my brush, making paintings alive.”
Zaandam | Watercolor
$500
16 X 20
I wanted to show the beauty of this place and the ancient mills. It's a very picturesque and beautiful place, revealing the way of life, the work of people in the past, and the beautiful architecture.
While she draws from the traditions of European landscape painting, Irina has developed a personal language that unites attentiveness with lyrical restraint. She blends realism with poetic imagination, allowing knowledge and intuition to coexist in her brushwork. Her paintings are more than images of places or objects. They are invitations to pause, to look closely, and to rediscover the beauty within ordinary moments. For her, art is not only about representation but also about evoking memory, emotion, and reflection in those who encounter her work.
This painting captures the beauty of Sardinia: turquoise sea, distant cliffs, and a shore with emerald stones covered in seaweed, where a seagull perches. The scene evokes warm, clear waters, beaches, summer, and relaxation. This moment inspired me to create a work that conveys the light, harmony, and joy of the seaside I’ve come to love deeply.
Sardinia | Watercolor
$500
10 X 14
For Irina, art is both path and purpose. She finds joy in the act of creation itself and believes that painting offers a way forward, a movement toward freedom and discovery. In every watercolor she produces she seeks balance: between control and release, between observation and imagination, between fragility and strength. Her work affirms her conviction that beauty is always present, waiting to be revealed in the simplest of moments. Each painting is both a personal meditation and a gift to the viewer, inviting them into a shared space of contemplation and renewal.
A Fascinating Underwater World | Watercolor
$200
10 X 14
This small painting from a vacation in Sardinia captures the beauty of shallow waters. Clear water reveals picturesque stones among which little fish swim, while light passing through creates the sparkling caustic patterns. This scene brings calm and harmony, filling the work with the life of the shallows, the warmth of the sea, and the beauty of shimmering reflections.
“Each journey leaves impressions that flow back onto paper.”
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