I have always valued art as an escape, as an expression and as tool for development. Whether I possess talent or not, doesn’t always matter; painting continues to serve a purpose that can’t be quantified. Life is challenging; having a parallel universe made just for me is an impossibility, but having art as means of recovery comes as close to that as anything.
I have lived in Queens, New York City since 1995 after immigrating with my family from former Soviet Union. I fell in love here and had a family while navigating failures and fortunes. I love New York. The dynamics of my life are the gift and the curse that give me endless creativity but also paralyzing fear. That sentiment probably speaks to you with the same volume.
I have been fascinated by drawing after watching a childhood friend draw when I was 8 years old. It has remained an undercurrent of my life ever since. I seem to gravitate to proving that beautiful things remain beautiful even in their most final or desperate states. I feel that same way about life - its beauty can be seen in all the stages; even the desperate ones.
Thank you for sharing your time with me.