Winter’s Smiles. 3/18 Limited Edition art print. Artwork

Although I also paint with acrylics and watercolour, my favourite medium is digital. An iPad and Apple pen, in a quiet corner, with a comfortable seat and a cup of tea, is my little studio. I was born and grew up in Russian, a Siberian city, moved to the UK in 2003 and, after a further six years, moved to France. As a child I used to spend a lot of free time and study time drawing, for friends and family, but it was just for fun and I never considered taking it up seriously, although my ability was recognised at school. Practicality, a key part of my character, was ingrained in my generation during my Siberian upbringing. Therefore, encouraged by my parents, I completed a university degree in engineering and economics, which put me on a completely different path. The years have passed and I welcome anything that the digital world offers. I was always quizzical about digital drawing, inspired along the way by David Hockney’s digital work. 2020/21 gave me the opportunity to self-educate on the use of digital art software. After a few weeks of perseverence, I was completely seduced by this revolutionary and fascinating way of creating art, experimenting with colours, textures and details, and the ability to transfer accurately my emotions and vision of a subject. The incredible landscape that surrounds my home gave me the final encouragement to draw and paint again. The Alps have been my home for over a decade now. It’s a delicate, but simultaneously harsh beauty, the colours and extreme seasons, inspire me on my hikes and travels. The people, the combination of scenes, objects, light and shades, sensations and sounds, that catch my eye, make me stop, think and turn on my imagination, and I never know what my next piece of art will be...