MY VISION I believe that when we create, we connect to our soul and express our unique vision of the world, which brings joy and harmony to the viewer. Painting is healing for both, the creator and the viewer. MY STORY My first encounter with drawing and painting happened when I was 12 years old in Yerevan, Armenia, where I was born. I had enrolled in a youth art studio, where I learned the fundamental principles of how to draw and paint figures and still life in a traditional style - how to describe a form, light and shadow. After 5 years of learning a lot at the studio, I had to focus on my linguistic degree studies at the University of Foreign Languages in Yerevan. It wasn’t long after that I got married, had a child, moved to Russia, then Bulgaria, and finally the UK, where I have been settled since 2001 in London.  During most of this period, there was no opportunity to create, as I was too busy with work (interpreting, translation, teaching foreign languages, hospitality, more general office work) and family life, so my connection to art was only through admiring works at art galleries and museums around the world. In 2015, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which completely turned life upside down. I started rethinking my values, my interest in yoga and Buddhist philosophy grew, and I understood a very important thing - that all I had learnt in life so far was just doing, that I had never been taught to just be.  My mother's desease created a huge emptiness in my soul. I wanted to help her, but I felt extremely helpless and a terrible hopelessness, until, after a gap of 37 years, I felt a strong urge to paint again, as a form of meditation and healing. I started small and was very shy to share it, even with my closest people.  When Covid hit, I used the lockdown periods as an opportunity to refine my painting skills, this time discovering more of a painterly and colourist style, by immersing myself in online art courses and youtube tutorials. Along the way, I met wonderful artists to whom I am extremely grateful for helping me overcome the fear of ridicule, rejection and failure. My wonderful teachers are Chris Legaspi (Head and Figure drawing, pencil and charcoal), Malcolm Dewey (all media), Susan Jenkins (pastels), Alain Picard (pastels) and Marla Baguetta (all media). I have also met many other wonderful artists from all over the world, who have been very kind and supportive, and some of whom have become good friends. Of course, none of this would have happened without the love, support, encouragement and patience of my wonderful family.  Following these last few years of art study and experimentation, I now feel that I am an established artist and I’m ready to share my works with the wider world and I hope that you enjoy what you find on these pages. I also hope that my story will encourage others to overcome all limiting beliefs and start painting now! It is never late!