Still Life with Chinese vase and Grapefuit Painting

I was born in Siberia. Growing up there, surrounded by endless forests, great rivers, the clearest of lakes, and majestic mountains encouraged me to really appreciate nature, feel it, and truly love it. I could never get used to this beauty. As a young kid, every time I would see something inspiring, I was trying to imprint it in my memory. That is when a spark for art lit up in my heart. Painting and drawing was the best way to capture the moment and share it with others. It was the best feeling and from that time it remains this way. Moving to America brought me many opportunities to express myself as an artist and show my work. I am specializing in representational oil painting. My primary subject is Still Life, but my work also includes figure, portraiture, and landscapes. I paint mostly from life and the live models. I regularly participate in exhibitions and competitions, where my work has garnered awards. These include 2nd Place "Flowers and Gardens Juried Show" 311 Gallery, The Copper Beech Foundation Award from the “36th Annual Regional open Juried show” ; 3RD Place award from the Richeson75 International Art Competition “Animals, Birds, and Wildlife”; Artistic Achievement Award from the "30th Annual National Juried Fine Art Show”; Blue dot Award from the Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY. My formal art training is from the Art Students League of NY. I am a member of the American Artists Professional League. My work can be found in numerous private collections in the US and abroad.