1. From Outsider to Artist
I was the little girl who carried sketchbooks instead of friendships. At school in Russia I was bullied for being quiet, dreamy, “different.” Every lunch break I fled to the art room, where pigments, charcoal, and a single patient teacher became my refuge. Those afternoons changed everything: for five intense years I joined the adult evening program at our local fine art school, mastering classical drawing, water color, sculpting in clay, even folk‑art ornament. Suddenly the shy kid topping no lists was winning studio awards. Art gave me my first taste of self‑respect and a lifelong hunger for honest beauty.
2. Solid Foundations Hidden in Plain Sight
My parents loved me fiercely, but not enough to risk an “impractical” career. So instead of the fine‑arts university I dreamed of, I earned degrees in Marketing, Graphic Design, and later Interior Design. I learned how color affects emotion, how space tells a story, how to craft a visual message that lands. I devoted my days to pixel-perfect layouts and brand guidelines, yet I craved a level of freedom no client brief could offer. The skills I shelved never left; they now anchor the expressive abstractions you see.
3. A Detour Lettered in Ink
The rebellion surfaced in curves of ink. Hungry for something tactile, I plunged into calligraphy and type design, drawing every letter by hand before digitizing entire fonts. The discipline was addictive: grids, baselines, the meditative scratch of a nib. My Instagram community blossomed to 80,000+ women who loved watching words turn to art. Two instructional books, international workshops, and a keynote in New York. I was, by all accounts, a “lettering star.” Yet the stricter the grid, the louder a small voice whispered:You were born to color outside of it.
Lisbon Light, Abstract Voice
I moved to Portugal in 2015 for a Master’s in Design Communication; when COVID hushed Lisbon, I swapped steel nibs for palette knives. Calligraphy taught my hand to breathe—abstract painting asks my whole body to exhale. I paint feelings, not objects: layered color and texture with classical bones you may not see but can feel in a fearless swipe of magenta. Collectors say my work “makes the room exhale” and “brings everyday courage.” That’s the alchemy I’m after.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Today I’m a fully self‑represented artist, shipping originals and limited‑edition prints from my Lisbon studio to homes across the United States, Australia, and beyond. Your purchase fuels more than paint and linen; it funds creative risk, female independence, and the belief that art can be both sanctuary and catalyst. In return, you receive a work forged from rigor, resilience, and the most radiant light on the Atlantic.
An Invitation
If a canvas here quickens your pulse, trust it—that’s the artwork recognizing you. And if you long for something crafted just for your space or story, I’d be honored to create a commission that speaks your language of color. Thank you for reading my journey. May it inspire you to claim more beauty, more bravery, and a daily reminder that transformation is always possible.
