I AM

I believe that art is inside of us, it is what we feel. My journey of exploration began when I was a child, when I first touched the paint and brushes and thought to myself, "I know what I should do with that." It took me 20 years to figure out how to use it, and it will take even longer to fully grasp it. My early inspiration was water and everything inside of it; I spent hours looking at pictures of marine animals such as sharks, small fishes, and my favorite dolphins. I tried to find them whenever I got a chance to swim. And, of course, I drew a lot of sketches of them. I felt at one with my hobby and the nature around us, I was enthralled by it.

Going through my background briefly, I've always been very artistically oriented, and individual expression has always been a big part of who I am. I attended Art School in Russia and received a design diploma but could not envision how I would evolve into an artist or my future as one. For me, the true breakthrough occurred while I was in university studying a completely different major. When I discovered abstract art, it felt as if I had been struck by lightning. It was sudden and unexpected; at the time, I was going through a difficult emotional period, and art was, and still remains my therapy. It is my hidden and secret place where I am completely in tune with my emotions. Emotional expression through art is an excellent way to release feelings before they become too intense. Art is infinite, it is always present deep within us, we cannot touch it, but we can feel it. I truly believe in it.

If as a child I was fascinated by nature, then now, for me, art is about a deeper level of human nature. I am intrigued by psychology and observe everything around me, no matter how beautiful or ugly it might be. Psychology is a tool for understanding the world around us or between us. I believe we are extremely complex creatures, and it is essential to have a basic understanding of our psyche.