When we received Svetlana Shalygina's postcard in the mail, we instantly fell in love with her work the minute we saw it peeking out beneath the envelope. We simply couldn’t keep ourselves from gazing at her mysterious and elongated figures and wasted no time picking up the phone to call her. Svetlana’s work is nostalgic, influenced by her love of nature, which began in the Russian countryside, and her ever-evolving interest in human behavior and emotion. The texture, lines and composition of her work make a seemingly simple painting visually rich and inspiring. The viewer yearns to know more about the figures, their relationship to each other and to their surroundings. You may never get all your questions answered, but we love that Svetlana keeps us guessing. Svetlana’s beautiful work came from unexpected origins. Svetlana was born into a humble, working class family in Efremov, Russia. She lived in the countryside with her sister and her parents who both worked in a local factory. As a child and teenager, Svetlana painted and sketched the picturesque valleys and landscapes that surrounded. She lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg as a young adult and in Moscow, Svetlana was forever changed by some of the greatest museums in the world. Thrilled and inspired by the great artistic masters in Moscow, Svetlana traveled to Paris, Milan, Rome and Vienna (to name a few) to be exposed to all the artistic tradition Europe had to offer. At 20 Svetlana’s life, already full with experiences and places, was about to expand even more. Svetlana was given the opportunity to go to the United States. The move was a wonderful gift, but it was also a challenge. Svetlana would not be able to visit her supportive family in Russia for ten years due to complex emigration laws. Although a formal art degree was her first priority, she ended up moving to the Southwest. The magnificent beauty of the desert and persistent sunny weather fed Svetlana’s sprit and art and she was able to establish and run a studio for twelve years, achieving success through her own study, experimentation and creativity. Svetlana’s growth and success as an artist continues to increase and happily Svetlana now visits her family every summer in Russia.
