My art is an exploration of my heritage. I grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia listening to my dad read Russian fairytales to me, and then reading them voraciously myself. My parents instilled in me a love of arts, reading, nature and of course all things Russian. Life has allowed me many ways to try my hand at art; I’ve been a fashion designer, an illustrator, a costume designer. In fiber art, I have found the way to meld my love of fabric and paint and all things textural. If not for my husband and children, I would never leave my studio, time does not exist there. Although I have been fully integrated into the American way of life for almost 30 years, I feel my Russianness pulling at my heart strings and I must express it through my art. Once again the fairytales are filling my head with visions of magic and love and heroism.

My current work focuses on my fascination with sheer, transluscent effects and creative recycling. I love the cloud-like softness of chiffon, the crisp lightness of organza, the intriguing texture of a dryer sheet. I paint or dye my materials and then freehand machine embroider them with fanciful images that come from my imagination, influenced by Russian fairytales. I then add hand stitching and frequently more paint to further enhance the piece. Layering sheers with muslin, velvet or a recycled element, I tear and manipulate until I have found the most satisfying way to display the delicacy, fragility and textures of the materials and bring forth the beauty of the image.