T-shirt with hand-painted panel, Klimt, The Kiss

In my younger, free-wheeling days I traveled all over Europe by myself. When I was 27, I visited a journalist friend in Holland, with a few dozen of my silk paintings from Russia in my suitcase, hoping to sell them, to get by. He had great connections, and he arranged my first ever gallery show. I was deliriously happy when I sold several paintings, and there were even favorable reviews in the local papers! A year later, I found a way to move to the USA, and in 2016 started my gallery, "Silk and Stone", in Half Moon Bay.

While my eight years at Silk & Stone in that cozy jewel-box space at 431 Main Street had been absolutely wonderful, we just found about four times the space at 714 Kelly Ave, Half Moon Bay, just off Main. What a joy it is to be in this historical building, with its spacious layout, built-in platform for my painting area, glowing wood floors and walls, and great lighting. In the future, I'll be able to hold classes there as well.

I have always dreamed of having my own gallery in a space large enough to fully display my paintings and wearable art, as well as the work of many talented local artists.