I was born into a creative family and knew from the start that I would become an artist. My grandfather was a professional painter trained in the classical Soviet system and he taught me drawing and painting from the time I could hold a brush. We used to go out together into the field and I liked to explore nature using my pencil and paints.  He was a strict teacher which at the time I didn’t like but I appreciate that now as the discipline was an important balance to my artistic nature.  At the same time I was studying music so I was brought up to understand harmony and to love art.

As well as studying the classical multilayer techniques of watercolour painting and drawing, I also did courses in miniature enamel painting, mural painting and etching. These painstaking activities taught me to love and to develop detail and that is still a feature of my work today, whether working in oil on a large canvas, or a simple sketch on a train.

At 14 I packed my bags and went to St Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts, where my grandfather had been a student. I sat the admission exams and just missed selection for full scholarship.  I was accepted as a fee paying student, but had to decline as I had no way to support myself away from home and when they found out my age, they said I was too young to be there alone and sent me back to Moscow, disappointed.

After completing my schooling, and disillusioned with a pure academic path I enrolled at the Gerasimov All-Russian State University of Cinematography.  Here, I specialized in costume design with an emphasis was on imagination and self-expression. This gave me a broader arts education, not only the academic discipline in painting and drawing techniques but also the practical application in cinema – from modeling and dress making to styling and participating in the whole production process.

More recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel throughout Europe which has sparked all of my current work.  The excitement of new landscapes, cities, and cultures have inspired me to capture my feelings from these travels, especially the colours of Southern Europe, and the rhythm of daily life.  I continue to experiment across different media and produce work in the field as my grandfather taught me, and on return in the studio.   I am happiest with my backpack of materials, sitting on a rock or in a corner out of sight, observing and recording these moments

See my website for more works - http://www.sashasokolova.com/