ArtQuench Presents Artist Elena Kupreeva

ArtQuench Introduces “Featured Artist”

Elena Kupreeva “A Talented Artist who Embraces Creativity in Many Forms”

Elena’s natural talent and supportive family have kept her constantly moving forward in her artistic journey. ” I am most grateful to all of my family, especially my parents, for taking that chance and believing in me.”

It all started with red tomatoes. And it took a red dog to pull it through.

A copy of a painting by Daniel Kessler.

I’ve been painting, drawing and doodling for as long as I can remember myself. In third grade we had an assignment to draw tomatoes. The teacher took a glance at my work, I’m told, and suggested to my parents that I take extra art lessons. So that was settled, then. I am most grateful to all of my family, especially my parents, for taking that chance and believing in me. And of course for keeping up that support through the years.

I reveled in the art that was now part of my life. When I was twelve I spent all summer preparing my portfolio to be allowed to take entrance exams to Serov Art School, located on Moscow’s old and beautiful Prechistenka. I was beside myself when I was accepted. Two years later my family moved to Washington DC, but naturally I wasn’t about to give up, enrolling in Duke Ellington School of Arts. A few years later I found myself in the Corcoran School of Art and Design. While still indulging in painting, during my senior year I took a class on computer graphics and design, which I found amazingly exciting (though my teachers insisted I should not forget to pick up my brushes from time to time).

After returning to Moscow I took a break from artistic pursuits – studied journalism, plunged into very different fields of work, including international relations, consulting, and investment projects management.

My life took another swerve in 2010 when I got married and moved to Zurich. I didn’t work at the time, and only started learning German. Decorating our house was a natural start for an artistic flashback. And of course, the new walls needed some art. I asked my sister for a picture of a red dog that she got from a small gallery in DC a few years back. But she wouldn’t part with it, so I decided to paint a copy for myself. And that’s what got me to take to the easel with new ardour. “Boy at the Window” was my next feat. I painted for fun, but friends started asking for some pieces and commissioning others. And a good friend persuaded me to go public with my growing collection. But I wouldn’t have done any of it without my husband Misha – his devotion and support helped me grow.

Ever since I started painting again I’ve been using various oil painting techniques to sublimate and convey my emotions onto a canvas. A couple of years back I took to ink graphics drawing. At first I just did that for fun, but later on, when friends started asking me to make a print for them to colour, I had the idea of creating my own anti-stress colouring book. As of now, one book has already been published and is still available. A second one, initially designed for the Kremlin Museum’s Japanese exhibit, will hopefully come out before the end of this year.

In 2016 I had my first personal exhibition in Zurich.

My Instagram account @evk_fineart was noticed by Carla Cid de Diego just days after I’d set it up.

She invited me to send a few pieces to take part in her project for Art Bazel Miami 2016 and her gallery in Miami – Zenith Art and Fashion – now represents my art officially.