Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I am largely self-taught, and creating has always felt instinctive to me.
I experience the world very visually. A landscape, a certain light, a face, or even a small detail can make me stop and take it in. I have a strong visual memory, almost like taking a photograph in my mind. Sometimes I carry an image with me for years before it eventually finds its way onto canvas.
Much of my work is connected to place and memory. I am drawn to mountains, rolling green hills, pine forests, villages, and expansive skies—landscapes that are deeply connected to my family history and my own memories. When I paint these places, I am capturing more than a landscape; I am capturing a feeling of home.
Hawaii has also become an important part of my artistic world. I have visited all of the major Hawaiian islands and return whenever I can. Over time, my connection has grown beyond its extraordinary landscapes and ocean. I have developed a deep appreciation for Hawaiian language, music, art, and culture, and I hope to make Hawaii my home in the coming years. Its remarkable light, vibrant colors, ocean, and tropical landscapes continue to find their way into my work.
My Eastern European heritage has also drawn me to traditional Byzantine iconography and its centuries-old techniques. At the same time, my curiosity as an artist has taken me beyond oil painting into watercolor and sculpture. Each medium offers a different way to express what I see, feel, and remember.
Although my subjects and mediums may change, the reason I create remains the same: to capture the places, images, and moments that stay with me and give them another life through art.