DINA BE FINE ART
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".
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.
JURIED EXHIBITIONS
ARTIST CV
2024
Rhode Island Watercolor Society “Simply Watercolor” Juried Exhibition, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Lyme Art Association "Bon Appetit" Juried Exhibition, Old Lyme, Connecticut, The Dr. Alice Hamilton Award
Mystic Museum of Art "Pathways" Juried Exhibition, Mystic, Connecticut
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