top of page
P1060070a.jpg

A Journey to Self

If you are born an artist, sooner or later you'll make it. My journey to self had enough detours to help me appreciate who I am and what I've become.

Art is the ultimate form of self-actualization: It encapsulates an inspired moment and makes it assessible to all. And I am honored to be able to share it with my audience.

Artist Statement

From ancient to contemporary art, we have seen it all. And now artists are faced with a challenge from AI to reinvent art, merge styles and imitate mastery. We live in times called “meta-modern” – they encompass everything and leave no room to become a true original. Yet, when production capacities are infinite and attention spans are short, we still remain the same biological species craving to be grounded in reality while being mesmerized by the dream realm and the infinite potential of human imagination. In my art I am trying to bridge this dichotomy for myself and, hopefully, to help my audience to pause, catch a breath and appreciate the wonder we call "life".

EtsyIriseAbsractDetail (3).JPG
LAA_BonApetit_Award.JPG

Artist Bio

I was born in the former USSR, and received my fine arts training near Moscow at a school affiliated with a historical artist colony where great Russian artists found creative inspiration. Back then I focused on portraiture and illustration, but my artist career was initially short-lived due to political and economic upheavals and the dismantling of the country. After my move to the United States, I pursued career paths in business and academia, and only in 2020, I was able to return to painting full-time, drawing inspiration from my immediate surroundings. My works are primarily representational covering a wide range of subjects with an intent to help the viewer to transmute the perceived reality into an internalized meaning. I have been actively participating in regional and national exhibitions, and my artworks found homes in private collections across the US and abroad.

Awards

JURIED EXHIBITIONS

ARTIST CV

2024
New England Watercolor Society 2024 North American Open Juried Exhibition, Plymouth, Massachusetts 
Rhode Island Watercolor Society “Open Spaces” Juried Exhibition, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Honorable Mention
Ridgefield Guild of Artists 43rd Annual Juried Exhibition, Ridgefield, Connecticut
New England Fine Arts 6th Annual Juried Exhibition, Ware, Massachusetts, 1st Place, Acrylic
Madison Art Society 49th Open Juried Exhibition, Madison, Connecticut
Whetherfield Academy for the Arts, Biannual Open Juried Exhibit, Wethersfield, Connecticut

Lyme Art Association “Expanding Visions” Juried Exhibition, Old Lyme, Connecticut
Academic Arts Association 74th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism, Vernon, Connecticut
Artist Magazine Acrylic Works 11 Competition Finalist
Greenwich Art Society 107th Annual Juried Exhibition, Greenwich, Connecticut
Rhode Island Watercolor Society National Watermedia Juried Exhibition, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
New Haven Paint & Clay Club 123rd Open Juried Exhibition, New Haven, Connecticut
Cambridge Art Association National Prize Show, Cambridge, Massachusetts 
CT+6, Regional Juried Exhibition, West Hartford, Connecticut

 

2023

Lyme Art Association “Bon Appetit!” Juried Exhibit, Old Lyme, Connecticut, Award of Merit

Northeast Fine Arts, 5th Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Realism, Ware, Massachusetts

The Guild of Boston Artists 2023 New England Regional Juried Exhibition, Boston, Massachusetts

Madison Art Society 48th Annual Juried Exhibition, Madison, Connecticut, Van Gogh Award

Clinton Art Society, 74th Annual Juried Summer Exhibition, Clinton, Connecticut, Henry H. Pierce Memorial Prize for Landscape

Copley Society of Art 2023 National Show "Through Hopper's Lens", Boston, Massachusetts

Stamford Art Association “The Marine Show” Open Juried Exhibit, Stamford, Connecticut

Lyme Art Association “Expanding Visions” Juried Exhibit, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 2nd Place Award

Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts 112th Annual Juried Exhibition, Old Lyme, Connecticut

Attleboro Arts Museum “Used”, A National Juried Exhibition, Attleboro, Massachusetts

Rhode Island Watercolor Society National Watermedia Juried Exhibition, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 2nd Prize Award

Lyme Art Association “Ship to Shore” Juried Exhibit, Old Lyme, Connecticut

Academic Arts Association 73rd Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism, Vernon, Connecticut

New Haven Paint & Clay Club 122th Open Juried Exhibition, New Haven, Connecticut

Art Center East “Still Lifes”, Open Juried Exhibit, Vernon, Connecticut

Lyme Art Association “Four Acts” Juried Exhibit, Old Lyme, Connecticut

Stamford Art Association “Celebrating Women” Open Juried Show, Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford Art Association “Winter Escape” Open Juried Show, Stamford, Connecticut

Rhode Island Watercolor Society “Winter Blues” Online Juried Exhibit, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Honorable Mention

Cambridge Art Association “RED”, Open Juried Show, Cambridge, Massachusetts
 

2022

Bromfield Gallery “Winter Works” Juried Exhibit, Boston, Massachusetts

Lyme Art Association “Deck the Walls” Juried Exhibit, Old Lyme, CT

Ridgefield Guild of Artists “Landscape” Open Juried Exhibit, Ridgefield, Connecticut

CT+6, Regional Juried Exhibit, West Hartford, CT

Lyme Art Association “New England Landscape” Juried Show, Old Lyme, Connecticut

Rhode Island Watercolor Society “Nature” Juried Exhibit, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Loft Artists “Faces & Figures” Open Juried Show, Stamford, Connecticut

Northeast Fine Arts 4th Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Realism, Ware, Massachusetts

Five Point Annex Small Works Juried Show, Torrington, CT

Ridgefield Guild of Artists 45th Annual Juried Exhibition, Honorable Mention

Bromfield Gallery “Witness” Juried Group Exhibit, Boston, Massachusetts

Rhode Island Watercolor Society National Watermedia Juried Exhibition, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Honorable Mention

New Haven Paint & Clay Club 121th Open Juried Exhibition, New Haven, Connecticut

Madison Art Society 47th Annual Juried Exhibition, Madison Connecticut

Art League of New Britain Annual Juried Member Show, New Britain, Connecticut

Connecticut Women Artists, Annual Juried Member Show, New Britain, Connecticut

San Diego Museum of Art, Artist Guild Open Juried Spring Exhibit, San Diego, California

Rhode Island Watercolor Society “Celebrating Color” Open Juried Exhibit, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Las Laguna Gallery, Human Faces and Figures Juried Exhibit, Las Laguna, California


 
2021                         

Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts “Transformations” Open Juried Show, Old Lyme, Connecticut

CT+6, Regional Juried Exhibit, West Hartford, Connecticut

2020

CT+6, Regional Juried Exhibit, West Hartford, Connecticut, Nancy Fritsche Award

Art League of New Britain “Working from the Figure” Open Juried Show, New Britain, Connecticut
 
2018

Wethersfield Academy for the Arts “Small Works” Juried Show, Wethersfield, Connecticut

West Hartford Art League “Small Works” Open Juried Exhibit, West Hartford, Connecticut

Art League of New Britain Annual Juried Member Exhibition, New Britain, Connecticut

Nor'Easter: The 48th Annual Member Juried Exhibition, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut

2017

Lemonade Stand Gallery “Small Works” Juried Exhibit, Key West, Florida

Mena Art Gallery “Small Works” Juried Exhibit, Mena, Arizona

EXPEREINCE

2020 - Present

Artist

Participation in local and national exhibitions and art associations.
Exhibition manamgement and curation.

2017 - 2020

Free-Lance Consultant

Startup advising, marketing, and strategic assessment services.

2001 - 2016

Director of Strategy

The Hartford Financial Services Group

1999 - 2000

Post-Doctorate Researcher

City University of New York, Language Acquisition Laboratory

1993 - 1995

Teaching Assistant

University of Florida, Linguistics Department

EDUCATION

MBA, Finance, University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut, 2002

Ph.D., Psycholinguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 1997

MA, Linguistics, Moscow State Regional University, Moscow, USSR, 1990

Fine Arts Studies, Pushkino Fine Arts School, Moscow Region, USSR, 1985

bottom of page