I was born in Kiev Ukraine, where I spent the first thirty years of my life. Thus, Russian culture, in the forms of music, poetry, visual art, and meditation, were an important part of my life there. I was trained as a speech pathologist and worked in that field for eight years.
I moved to the United State to escape religious persecution in the Soviet Union. I arrived without family or friends, knowledge of English, or monetary support. I was a single mother with a 4-year old son. It took me twenty years to build a new life and to bring my family to this country. As a consequence, I am largely a self-taught artist.
I was not able to articulate my artistic feelings for a very long time.
But, when I felt clay for the first time, I knew I found my medium.
