Best Friends Painting

I am Vsevolod Chistiakov, a Russian painter from St.Petersburg. I have been drawing and painting since the age of 7 and attended an intensive art program all throughout grade school. I also obtained a post-secondary fine arts education from the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. One of my first and fondest memories from my childhood is the smell of oil paints in the classroom, and to this day this scent is both comforting and inspiring. I start every day in my studio, taking in the lingering, earthy scent and letting it freely guide my brush. I love to experiment with style and texture, and often incorporate other mediums such as watercolors, pastels, and charcoal, but using oil on canvas in the impressionist and realist techniques will always remain my passion and expertise. I love to paint the everyday: city streets, flowers, nature, but I present the ordinary in a new light by working to capture the light, movement, color, and emotion of a single moment in time. I typically work on each painting for only a few days since each canvas is a snapshot of a single experience or mood, and I try to record and interpret that moment as quickly as I can since time will often change the mood, and therefore the outcome. For this reason, most of my work is comprised of single, original paintings, but I occasionally make reproductions upon request and with the consent of the original owner. I am happy to accept custom orders, just message me with your ideas to get started! I also have a collection of merchandise – t-shirts, totes, pillows, phone cases, and more – featuring prints of my artwork. Please follow the link below if you are interested. I sincerely hope that you enjoy my work, and make one of these paintings a part of your home!