Master Class in Saint Petersburg.

A group of Larkgallery Online artists participated in a Master Class in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 27 - July 3rd, 2011, just returned home and sent us very nice testimonials:

"Thank you for making this trip possible. The trip to St. Petersburg was fantastic. I had the best time of my life. When the Director of the Master Class Art Festival, Tamara, and her husband Azat picked me up at the airport at midnight, I knew it was going to be alright. By the time they took me to the charming Silver Age hotel, I was already warmed to place. Tamara and Azat, I came to feel, epitomized the generous and gracious spirit of St. Petersburg.

Their generosity went beyond the art supplies, such as canvases and paints given to us during the Master Class. They took us on the memorable excursions and invited us to dinners for the remaining time, even after the festival was over with the huge closing ceremony.

Thanks to their effort, we were able to visit the famous Hermitage Museum and Peterhof among others. Needless to say, these places were mindbogglingly fabulous and vast. Just amazing.
We also went to the Pavlovsk State Park to paint plein air and had the delicious picnic lunch of barbecue pork and cucumber salad. Afterward Tamara auctioned our paintings we made there, and mine was sold to a gallery owner, Jura who later invited me and Lisa to his studio/gallery.

Another unforgettable treat was an evening boat ride on Neva River. I will never forget the sight of the abundant food and drinks as I entered the boat. And everyone danced to the fast music DJed by Boris, a fellow Russian artist. I said to myself, Russian people, young and old, could party.

My overall impression was that people of St. Petersburg were uncommonly kind and helpful. Everyone I asked for a direction, he or she would take time to show me the way, even by walking with me. One woman probably went more than a block, because I saw her turning around and crossing the street after helping me to the right place.

That niceness was also extended by the hotel employees (called administrators there). One of them, Olga, who spoke excellent English, had invited me to join other hotel guests to go out and watch the famous bridge opening. Unfortunately, that same night I was at the closing ceremony and dinner and couldn't get back to the hotel on time. But she scheduled another night just for me, so she and Tanya spent their night off, showing me around. I was humbled by their kindness. They made it all so enjoyable.

There was so much to see and learn in Russia. Meanwhile, I tried to learn Russian alphabets.
Finally, I got to produce and show a few of my artworks there. They are still on exhibit."
Young Summers

"We made it back from St. Petersburg! It is a beautiful city and we were treated very well. Thanks for all of your efforts."
Richard Jones

"Tamara, Azat and Masha are amazing. They just could not do enough for us. We all had a great time. Really really lovely people."
Lisa Bahouth