"Celestial Kryptonite" Painting

Born St. Petersburg, Russia
Lives and Works in Los Angeles, CA.

I began drawing when I was 3 years old. At 5 years old I was drawing so much that my fingers became calloused from holding a pencil. The callouses were so bad that my parents would make me take breaks from drawing. But, my heart still yearned to make art. When I was 7 I made my first book with the help of my mother about a little dolphin. I drew the pictures and my mother helped me with the writing. At age 6 I remember spending many days at the art studio where my Mom worked as a batik textile artist. I spent so much time drawing and watching at the studio that my mom’s c-workers made me my very own small wooden frame with stretched silk so that I could create batik paintings just like my mom’s. Her studio produced a small collection of fancy scarfs, collars, cravats and different styles of men’s ties. Those pieces, along with my art, were sent to a special dye house for dye treatments and wax removal. It was thrilling to receive my art back and to see my finished product!
I was 8 years old when my Dad shared his passion for photography with me. Occasionally, he would borrow a friend’s camera so we could have photo sessions where he taught me to operate a camera. My family didn’t have a lot of money, and times were hard for us. My Dad secretly worked overtime to save enough money to buy us a camera. Today everyone has a camera on their cell phone, but then it was a very big deal - a camera was not a typical possession for Russian families like mine. It was a big surprise for our family!
My dad and I spent many hours in our kitchen organizing our dark room with a red light, the chemicals and enlarger for developing and processing our photos. It was amazing and magical how the images slowly made the appearance on the white photo paper.
I always dreamed of becoming an artist, but life seems to have different rules. I lost my parents when I was very young and was forced to survive on my own. I became an Operations Manager and worked for 20 years at a Russian department store. I lived half my life in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which is the most beautiful city in the world. There were many reasons why we left Russia; Political, economical, and to create a better future for our kids. The weather in Saint Petersburg with the grey sky, cold and rainy days, and everyone is constantly dressed in grey and black. When I moved to sunny California I was blown away.