Gold Autumn Painting

Born in 1959 in the city of Lviv, Western Ukraine. I began creating art at an early age. Once I reached my teens, I began attending art classes at The Ukrainian Artist Association. Later enrolled at The Ivan Trush College of Decorative and Applied Arts in Lviv, where in 1978 acquired my Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts. After graduating I continued studying under numerous famous artists of Ukraine. Learning new mediums, such as carving, etching and sculpting. By 1990 me and my family immigrated to Canada, where I currently reside. My paintings are emotional response to what I see around me: peaceful places and retreats- forests, cloud formations, country fields... After exploring different painting styles and themes, I found tremendous fulfillment creating contemporary landscapes conjured from the stunning horizons witnessed during my travels across Canada. I love to paint contemporary landscapes with combination oil and acrylic, building up the surfaces of canvas with layers of paint and glazes. I never paint from a photograph. Instead, I enjoy the freedom and creative abandon to see where an impulse might lead. The intensity of working over a single piece to finish it makes the process very physical. I am trying to create lakes that shine, waterfalls that splash, grasses that bend in the wind, and dark clouds that promise rain... The work of Albrecht Durer, Sandro Botticelli, and Caravaggio influenced my interpretation of colour and sense of balance and composition. Above all, with whatever I create, I seek to impart a sense of vitality and joy, a celebration of the greatest art of all - the art of a life well lived. All of my heart and soul go into each work, as well as many years of research and inspiration.