Looking forward to a ski day Drawing by Elena Genkin

Membership: National Pastel Society of Russia (IAPS) Red Rock Pastel Society of Nevada , US (IAPS) Artists Society of Kfar-Saba (Israel) Born in Russia, I studied classical painting during 10 years in Voronezh Art School . A graduate of Voronezh State Univercity I have MSc in Applied Mathematics and Computer. In 1999 we moved to Israel with my family , where I live and create now. Few years later in parallel with my IT career I returned to painting , being inspired by deserted urban sites, landscapes, sea and cloudy skies.. It is a common thing for people living in big cities to perceive them as grey and unremarkable. I believe that it is an artist's duty to show to people the facets of life and visual beauty of everyday environments that they don’t necessarily see. I am of an opinion that if people will be able to discern the “remarkable in the unremarkable”, they will change their attitude to the place they live in. This very skill can lead to the majority of people being happier and more satisfied with their quotidian visuals. Nature in the variety is another point of focus in my art. I relish painting landscapes in the sunrise and sunset, rainy or windy weather, snow mountains and poppy fields. Having travelled a lot, I always come back from these travels with lots of sketches, that serve as inspirations for the new paintings. As per mediums, I float between watercolors, pastels, charcoal and mix of all of them. I don’t just use brushes as painting tools, but prefer a more dynamic and expressive method of application of paint: I use palms, fingers, palette knives and more. Most predominant topics of my paintings are landscapes and cityscapes, whether done in an academic style or more loosely: when the landscapes become abstract inner spaces. Today I'm a painter, a member of National Pastel Society of Russia, an active member of local artist societies. I'm proud to say that my works are in private collections in Israel, Russia, Bulgaria, Australia and other countries. As a passionate painter I often participate in various exhibitions, trying to reveal the beauty of our world to the people.