Born in Saint-Petersburg, I rarely turn in my art to this gorgeous (maybe a bit too gorgeous for me)  city – instead, I am often asked by those who see my paintings, whether I am from the  North? For some mysterious reason it is Arctic, or, to be more precise,  the land beyond the Polar circle,  that inspires me most – not only its landscapes,  but history and culture  as well.

My addiction to the North, basically, was formed  during my travels that started rather early in my life – I crossed many hundreds of kilometers in Karelia, Kola, in Laplandia and Norway on foot, in kayak and on skies. Later hiking  made way for  plein air trips – solo at first, but after a while I felt that I want to share the joy of plein air painting with others, which added a new dimension to my art practice and developed into plein air master classes and tours.

Histories of polar expeditions and indigenous peoples art, and, most of all, rock carvings, for me are full of magic which, I believe, is rooted in the landscape – so, exploring the landscape, I also look for the subtle connections between its forms and colours and character of people who travelled and lived there throughout the history.

Medium of my choice – watercolour – perfectly suits Arctic transparent  and austere beauty; the very essence of watercolour , as I feel it, opens  to the fullest when it is used to paint Northern landscapes, with snow, ice and reflections in the water - so abundant there and so naturally conveyed by  watercolour.