About the artist
Originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine. A professional painter and art teacher, now living and working in the south of England.
painting is my whole life
Artist · teacher · therapeutic art
Painting is my whole life. I've wanted to paint for as long as I can remember, so it was never really a surprise which path I'd choose.
For me, painting isn't just work — it's an enormous source of joy. Every canvas carries something of myself: my emotions, my experiences, my sense of what's beautiful.
I try never to stand still. I'm always exploring new artistic styles, looking for ways to capture not just the form and colour of things, but the qualities you can't quite name — the ones that give an object its own particular, incomparable beauty.
Watercolour · oil · gouache
Today my practice is built around watercolour — a technique through which I explore light, atmosphere and the subtlest emotional shades, while staying open to experiments with other techniques and materials.
Earlier in my career I worked a lot in oil and gouache, and that experience still defines the depth, texture and character of my work today. Of all the techniques, the two closest to me are oil and watercolour. Each of them can reveal the world in its own way, and help you see familiar things differently.
When I paint, I try to carry across the feelings and the emotion behind every subject onto the canvas — that's what gives each piece its energy, and you can see it in every confident brushstroke.
See the gallery
watercolour is where I live now
Before I found my style, I trained for years in different painting techniques — first at art school, then studying to become a decorative artist, and later graduating from the Art and Graphic Design Faculty of Kharkiv Pedagogical University. In 2004 I opened my own studio in Kharkiv, vikART.
Since moving to the UK, I've stayed closely involved in the art community here — exhibiting regularly and running masterclasses. My paintings are now held in private collections across the UK, Europe, the US and elsewhere.
my youngest student is 6, my oldest 92
I'm always glad to help anyone who dreams of creating their own paintings, whatever their age. My classes, for children and adults alike, in person, cover the parts of the craft I find most interesting: choosing the right materials, setting up a working space, learning technique, and simply developing a good eye.
A separate strand of my work is therapeutic art, where painting becomes not the goal but the tool — a way to reconnect with yourself, ease tension and explore emotions through colour and form.
See lessons
Exhibitions & awards
2026
Solo exhibition in Winchester (University of Winchester, West Downs Campus), 20 January – 13 February. Supported by the University of Winchester, Winchester City Council, the Winchester Ukrainian Cultural Association (WUCA) and Ukrainian Artists & Art.
2025
Winner of a competition for the best depiction of Brownsea Castle; finalist, Chervona Ruta festival art competition, London.
2025
Work exhibited in Bournemouth and Poole, in a show organised by United Action Charity Trust.
2019 – 2021
Participation in international watercolour exhibitions organised by IWS Ukraine.
2016 – 2021
Solo and group exhibitions in Kharkiv, Ukraine.