I graduated from the Moscow Academic Art College in 1997, where I trained in drawing, painting, sculpture, and the history of art. In 1999, I began learning to draw icons at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in London, under the guidance of Mariamna Fortunato. I went on to study at the iconography studio of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Alatyr, Chuvashia. 

For some years my career took me in a different creative direction, mainly portraiture and teaching art but I continued to deepen my practice through workshops with Aidan Hart in Shropshire and Alexandra Kudrinskaya in Moscow.

Over the last three years I have returned to iconography as my main focus, studying at St Tikhon's Theological Institute in Moscow and working alongside the Cypriot iconographer Charalambos Epaminonda in Cyprus. I am currently learning the Byzantine way to write icons with Sophronia Kelpi, renowned British Greek iconographer. I work in the traditional egg tempera technique using only natural pigments.

As an artist, I cannot imagine a better way to create than to express my faith through this work — spending time in communion with the Saints I am learning about, praying to, in conversation with. I want to paint the holy image and make it present, for the salvation and instruction of all who will venerate the icon. Portraiture is about capturing a person as they are in this world; icon writing is about the Saint as they are in Glory.

My dream is to work for the Church, painting the icons still missing from Her collection — filling the gaps in the calendar of Saints and writing holy images of our Saviour and the Most Holy Mother of God.

If there is an icon you would like to commission — for your home, your parish, a wedding, a christening, or in memory of a loved one — I would be very happy to hear from you.