Did you know that I'm an self taught artist?

​I've studied and practiced art since I was five, throughout grade school and college. I won awards in high school and exhibited my first painting in college, continued to study lessons from books, online tutorials, YouTube, and excellent teachers from workshops. I have sold artworks, worked with the commission through friends and connections, and exhibited pieces in California and Michigan. Being a member of Grand Valley Artists, Portrait Society of America, and Noaps inspires me to be a better artist by learning their techniques, strategies, and ideas on how to recognize fundamentals of the subject's shape, plane, value, and proportion and portray my visions onto the surface creatively pointing toward the hope and love of God with rich colors. I love to paint and draw figurative/realism with fine arts oil, acrylic, charcoal and sculpture, also enjoy painting plein air and still life subjects. Soon, you'll find me painting weddings from photos or at wedding events. 

I've loved art since I was a child. I remember how often I used to wake up early in the morning to relish the sunrise over our small farm in Anapa, Russia.  It filled my heart with joy and felt like a spiritual delight. I was surrounded by bountiful vegetable gardens, rose bushes, perennial and annual flowers, dense grapevines covering the drive offering cool shade where we'd dine on warm summer days, over-sized fruit trees (apple, apricot, and pomegranate), nut trees (hazelnut, walnut, and chestnut), mulberry trees, goats, a cow, pigs, fuzzy bunnies, chickens, jealous roosters, shy hedgehogs, barking dogs, cats, birds, butterflies, and bugs. It was wild, yet tidy and coherent. Through a deaf child's eyes without hearing aids nor explanations about life, my world was heaven,  almost perfect.  I understood that there is a creator that created everything, which taught me to meditate and contemplate God's creation.  Everything that moves and radiates colors enlightened my soul. I believe this solitude and being deaf play a big role as an artist. It allows me to pay close attention to the details and the emotions of individuals. What I perceive is that everything is a gift from God, our Lord who saw that everything is good. I want to paint the canvas with love, and light, giving hope to communities. Through life's pain, I feel God has shown me a new meaning and blessed me with a hope that can eradicate darkness. Souls need trials to tell a good story!

The artist now lives in Ada, Michigan with her husband and 4 children and works part-time at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital as a Nurse Tech. They have 1 cat, the other passed away in 2022. They love to hike, walk, run, read, do road trips, cook healthy dishes, bake, garden, and loves to entertain guests and families at their homes.  The artist loves good music, non-kids-friendly meal, wine, and travel to work with professional artists and teachers over the USA. They are a member of St. Robert of Newminister of Ada parish and sometimes make an appearance at St. Patrick of Parnell where their children attend the school.