Growing up in Leningrad during the Soviet era, I found sanctuary in the rooms of our city’s greatest treasure, the Hermitage Museum. I saw in the paintings of the great French masters Henri Matisse, Paul Gaughin and Pierre Bonnard a freedom of spirit never discussed in my art classes. It was a form self-expression that defied all my formal training.

In 1988 I attended an art exhibition that would forever change my perception of art and artists. Titled “From Unofficial Art to Perestroika,” this underground show was not sanctioned by the state. It was truly a revelation to see these artists who had absolutely no interest in public recognition. They were driven instead by a mad desire to find their own expression through painting. The exhibition was mocked by the state-owned newspapers, yet these outcasts became my most influential teachers.

Artists like Alexander Florensky, Vladimir Yashkey and Gennady Ustugov helped me to unlearn much of my formal training and to experiment with new variations of color and form. It is an ongoing struggle that has led me to many new discoveries.

Painting in color is for me the language of dreams. Who knows why that particular shade of blue evokes memories of a winter day? A painting has its own secrets and unresolved mysteries.