I predominately paint still life.  For my still lives I prefer to use objects that appeal to me for their form, color and surface structure I prefer to paint objects in actual scale if not somewhat larger than that.
 
Elements of the painting that fascinate me are rhythm, color and
unity. I endeavor to capture those fleeting moments when the light is just
perfect allowing the color, shadows and texture to unite in visual poetry. My compositions usually come together as I am arranging the objects on the table but often I have the composition visualized beforehand. Usually it is not my intention to use objects in a symbolic or allegorical way but occasionally
those references do arise and I welcome those happy occurrences. I feel an
irresistible attraction toward realism (perhaps it is my Russian background). I
love looking at it as well as creating it. The challenge of painting with great
precision and tightly executed details seduces me into continually striving to
conquer new boundaries and master new skills.