“Storms and tempests can be moving and emotionally stirring, but for me it is important to reveal harmony.”
Elena Volkova was born in the cold northern city of Murmansk, but later moved south, to the warmth of sunny Crimea. It was there that she began her artistic path, graduating from the painting and pedagogical department of the Samokish Crimean Art College. She later studied graphic arts at the Moscow State University of Printing Arts.
She lives and works in Yalta, and the vibrant palette of the southern city is vividly reflected in her paintings. Since 2014, she has been a member of the Union of Artists of Russia — a status that today holds no less importance than the depth of one’s artistic skill.
For Volkova, color is central to painting — it sets both mood and emotion. Ideas often live within her for a long time before finding their way onto the canvas. Into every detail, even the smallest, she weaves meaning like fine lace — without it, the whole cannot be fully understood.
Composition and technique are equally important. Above all, a work should evoke a sense of quiet pleasure.
Her brushwork is often described as “masculine” in strength, yet her imagery remains almost transparent and weightless. This is because her focus lies not in literal likeness, but in creating a harmonious resonance within the viewer’s heart.
