Adopted at age 3 from St. Petersburg, Russia, my passion for art is an overriding constant in a life of initial loss and then ongoing hope and a journey forward. After growing up along the Hudson River in Battery Park City in Manhattan, I graduated from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania with a dual major in Art and Education in 2024 and was awarded the 2024 Berman Museum of Art Award for Artistic Achievement in the Annual Student Exhibition. In my paintings and multi-media works, I often explore the dualities present throughout life including in the natural and the spiritual worlds. My works can be seen as puzzles with different pathways to explore. The interplay of light and shadow, calm and chaos, and the choice of colors and composition bring strong texture and emotion to my work. The goal is to intrigue and engage the viewer to ask questions about what they see and what they feel. My process is improvisational and reflects my constant desire to evolve and experiment with new techniques and push boundaries.