I was born and raised in the city of Odessa, Ukraine. From a very early age the two of my greatest interests were animals and art. By the age of fifteen I completed my basic art education in traditional fine arts from a rigorous 4-year study program at the School of Fine Arts for Children run by Odessa Grekov Art College. I continued to develop my painting skills on my own while pursuing other interests in my studies and jobs related to animals. I later began promoting myself as an artist and painting for sale and commissions.After moving to the United States I continued to...more