Oksana Valentinova Johnson

Oksana was born in Russia. In her childhood, she developed a deep appreciation and love for art, gaining exposure to the greatest artworks of Russian and Western masters in the country’s best art museums. She attended an art school, where she studied drawing and painting in watercolor. Although art remained an important part of Oksana’s life as she prepared to enter college, she was concerned about economic instability in Russia at the time and decided to focus on a more “practical” career. After receiving her degree in Economics, Oksana worked in the consulting and finance fields in Russia and the United States,where she has lived since 1997. While in the U.S., she began painting in oils, and in 2001, gave up her finance career to pursue her passion for art full-time. Since then, she has continued to paint and study art in the US, and has traveled to Russia number of times for extensive private studies under Internationally recognized Russian master Ivan Vitjuk.

“ I can’t imagine my life without painting. When I paint, I get a very special feeling of being deeply in touch with myself and the world around me. Time seems to stand still. Painting allows me to look into the furthest corners of my soul, and express on the canvas my feelings about what I see and experience. The other important aspect of being an artist is that it forces me to look more carefully at the subjects I am painting, and to observe what otherwise could go unnoticed: the touching innocence of a child, the wisdom hidden in every wrinkle of an old man’s face, the fragility of a flower, the interesting shape of the light and the multitude of colors in a stream of moving water. I feel extremely fortunate to have an opportunity to capture both what I see and the connection I feel at the moment, and to share it with others through my paintings.”

Oksana paints primarily in oils, but also enjoys working in other media such as charcoal, watercolor, and pastels. Her works are in private collections in the United States and Europe.

Oksana is a juried member of The Oil Painters of America and The Portrait Society of America.

For further information about available works or portrait commissions, please contact the artist at oksanavj@aol.com.