Ok, maybe it’s not THAT dramatic, but quite honestly it does feel that way sometimes. Since I was a kid, growing up in the former Soviet Union, I’ve had the inclination to create. Whether it was “embellishing” my equations in math class because they looked boring to “embellishing” my Estonian neighbor’s fence by painting a section of it and lighting it on fire. 😂

As I’ve matured, I no longer burn other peoples fences, however, the itch to do something different with art is still there. It is my belief that the desire to create is a God-infused piece of code in our DNA! It may manifest itself differently. For some it could be creating a meal that takes you places, or creating a garden that quiets your soul, or solving mathematical equations that pave the way to orbiting the moon, and so on.

I love that in the very first few verses of the Bible, God introduces himself as a “creator”, an artist. “In the beginning God created….” To me, it reveals something very unique about who we are as humans and that is; we are fully alive when we get to create. We’re not designed for merely survival. Our original design is to reflect the nature of our designer, that is to create. Furthermore, we get to co-create with the One who breathed stars into existence!!!

For me, painting or doing anything creative is just another way to worship and point to someone bigger that myself. I also believe art is a language that speaks to the deeper parts of us. Like sound, taste, smell, touch, it has a way to create and recall images and experiences that are powerful enough to transform a person.

My hope is that these pieces of art speak to your soul, cause you to ponder, evoke an emotion, a question, feeling, encourage you, release peace. Also, my goal is to share everything I’ve learned in my artistic journey with you so you can use whatever technique you like to implement in your own art.

My family

I’m an incredibly blessed husband of the most beautiful human on earth, my lady and my queen, Olya. She has been my biggest supporter and has sacrificed much for me to keep creating art. God knows how much I love you! I’m also a dad to four incredibly talented boys and one beautiful baby girl who’s melted my heart since I’ve laid my eyes on her. We love doing art projects together as a family. You can check out some of them on our YouTube channel. They are my world!