Where did you grow up and how has this inf luenced your art?
Until I was 14 years old I grew up in a small town in western Ukraine called Irshava. I’ve been creating art since second grade and have always been fascinated with the human figure and portraiture. I remember art teachers telling me that I needed to know how to draw and paint other things besides people.
However, my real love of fantasy art wasn’t born until I watched The Lord of the Rings: The
