I AM AN IMPRESSIONIST ARTIST, PAINTING DIRECTLY FROM NATURE (EN PLEIN AIR).
My work is influenced by French Impressionism and Early California artists. I have been painting for 20 years and my style can be described as bright, chromatic palette with "loose" painterly brush work. I began my artistic training at age 10 at an art school in Russia. I also have a degree in graphic design and built a successful career as a web designer. I am proud to call myself a student of nationally renowned artist Ovanes Berberian, who is famously known as the best colorist in the nation.
Signature Artist Member of American Impressionist Society
Associate Artist Member of California Art Club
Associate Artist Member of Laguna Plein Air Association
Member of Oil Painters of America
My Story
Visions and feelings of being out or near the sea fill my memories of my childhood. I grew up on the largest island off the east coast of Russia; the island of Sakhalin. My father was a sailor, leading cargo ships on trade routes around the world. Sometimes he would take my family on short trips around the continent. For a three year old child, these were unforgettable adventures and I was always excited and looking forward to the next trip.
The coast and the sea were what made me feel at home when, in 1996, I moved to California. I fell in love with this land. I often go to paint near the sea by the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel, where so many great artists found inspiration; Franz Bischoff (1864-1929) and William Ritschel (1864-1949) among others. My work has been greatly influenced by these early, great California artists, and they have opened my eyes to the possibilities of color.
The ever changing mood and mystery of the ocean inspires me with its color and flickering light reflections. My collectors often comment, when looking at my paintings, that they are drawn to those qualities in the paintings.
