Venecian mask 1 Painting

I was born in a small town in Russia and since childhood I loved to paint and draw, even attending a local art school. I dreamed of becoming an artist, but life took me down a different track and I became an economist. There was no time to be creative through university, my career and family commitments, so only later in life (after moving to live in England in 2012) did I once again have both the time and desire to draw; to express my moods and emotions in pictures. The nature in England struck me with its variety of floral shapes and colours. I would walk through parks and gardens spellbound, and could not take my eyes off the unearthly beauty of my new environment. To further my ability as an artist I joined a number of local art societies; initially choosing those that ran educational courses, but then moving to those that organised events where my pictures could be displayed. I currently hold the status of Exhibiting Member with two local societies and regularly exhibit in both Winchester and Farnham, where I have gained recognition and even first prizes for paintings I have entered in past exhibitions. I always strive to learn new ideas to keep my work fresh, using both new techniques and materials. Therefore, I can probably call myself a multi-artist. The creative process for me is like air, without which I cannot breathe. Each of my works is a piece of me; my perception of the world around me and my emotional response. My work in poetry and pictures: In my imagination, poetry and pictures go hand in hand. Neither can exist as a singular entity and one cannot simply be separated from the other within the creative process. Sometimes the picture is so clear in my mind’s eye that I simply have to follow this feeling. The picture progresses and the poetry, which has always been present in the back on my mind, flows naturally from the resulting image to complete the project. Equally as often it is the feeling, resulting in the poem, that arrives first with much time spent scanning and re-scanning the words to hone the image they create. Once the words are complete, the picture follows behind, shaped by the words and feelings already penned and always in front of me whilst the picture is forming.