Three Graces Print

Irina Azarenkova works mainly in oils and clay. Irina is currently living Vancouver, BC . She grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russia, surrounded by the timeless beauty of the Hermitage treasures. After a brief attempt to become a chemical engineer she obtained her degree from St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and Culture specializing in Russian Literature and Library Sciences. In her continued search for her destiny she arrived in New York City, where, after various stints as a travel agent and a Manhattan real estate agent she finally was able to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a full-time artist. She also continued her education at Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY; then moved to California, then to Pacific North-West. Irina has maintained close contact with the Bohemian life of modern St. Petersburg's art scene, always an education. Her travels have taken her to the birthplace of ancient porcelain - China. Staying in Artist's Residency in Jingdezhen she learnt the traditional art of Chinese ceramics. Continuing in her travels and education led her to Yucatan, Mexico, climbing the ancient Mayan pyramids and connecting to the spirituality of almost extinct tribes. Travel combined with her fascination with European surrealism and the heritage of Russian impressionism has influenced the particular world of her art. Her work is filled with strange and whimsical images of things living their lives in her imagination, all the while questioning where do we come from and where do we go.