I divide my life and art into two parts. The first 29 years were spent in my native Kiev, Ukraine, where I was born, raised, and received my education. I studied at the State Art School of Ukraine and later pursued the art of book illustration at the Ivan Fedorov Art and Printing Academy.
In 1992, I immigrated to the United States. For the past 30 years, I have lived in Louisiana.
It is difficult to say which direction my development as an artist would have taken if I had stayed in Ukraine. What I do know is that the past 33 years have proven to be a very intense and stimulating learning experience. I have had the opportunity to learn a new language, experience new customs and cultures, travel, and visit museums and cities that I read and studied about in my youth through art history and literature.
I have been able to study world history from different perspectives. This windfall of new emotions and experiences has greatly enriched my self-education and development as an artist. It has brought new ideas and inspiration. I have followed my intuition and feelings in an attempt to develop a story based on my visual language. I have utilized images from old engravings and photographs and have searched for answers while painting.
My paintings and drawings are figurative. The images that I adapt and personify as specific characters speak metaphorically about my personal experiences.
In 2009, I began working in the film industry. It was a new chapter in my professional life. Deadlines, teamwork, constant challenges, last-minute changes—this was a totally different experience from my studio life, where I had always worked alone.
Over the past sixteen years, I have met many talented, hard-working people and learned new scenic techniques, including the use of chemicals to achieve different faux finishes, along with countless other nuances of scenic art that we learn and share while working side by side.