Brevity is the sister of talent
- Anton Checkov
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My brief Bio:
- Born and raised in Russia by my guardian angels: mom and dad
- Applied mathematician by education, software engineer by profession
- Landed in San Francisco East Bay 30 years ago by a wild stroke of luck
- A half of a 32-year-young marriage, held together by strength of love and devotion
- Mother of three awesome human beings by calling
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About:
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We start our lives with fascination in human faces. That fascination never left me. But it was not until later in life that I had discovered the art of mask-making, and realized that it brings together many if not all of the things that had a pull on me ever since I can remember myself: drawing and sculpting faces, fantasizing, crafting in any media that catches my eye, immersing myself in details, capturing whatever I can from nature, making up and telling stories, contemplation and conceptualization, invention and endless learning.
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I perceive my face-cast portrait masks as filters: they take one trait of a complex character, one part of a multidimensional story and let it shine through, adorned and magnified. Through my fantasy and concept masks I share my thoughts, beliefs and hopes.
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Nature will always outdo any artist, but it has no copyrights, so I take small physical pieces from it and give them to my creations.
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I grew up in a world where people valued and preserved everyday objects. I love incorporating treasured things that outlived their purpose into my masks.
Mask-making takes me to the place where I belong.