The spring charm small painting

Hi, my name is Olesya Sytnyk.

I was born in Ukraine in 1978 in one of the main cities of the country. I graduated in 1995 & majored in education specializing in teaching Ukrainian and English languages. Later continued my studies & graduated from design school in 2000. Due to the disability, that I got in 1998 I could not work and started to develop my creative skills with crocheting, embroidering, and making different kinds of crafts. In 2004, me and my parents moved to California. While studied at the local college I was a self-taught artist and began taking lessons from a professional which significantly improved my paintings. I graduated in 2013 with an associate degree in journalism, but the strong desire to be an artist prevailed and now my main occupations are art and crafts. So I even invented a title for myself - “the craftist”. My artworks has been recognized by various art galleries with several awards in the U.S., and have found their new homes in 12 countries around the world.

I feel being an artist is like being a scientist; I love experimenting and trying to come up with unique results.  Also I believe that art is the reflection of God's creation and practicing it has taught me to see beauty everywhere. Unique shapes, colors, & compositions of nature are the endless source of inspiration.

My disability does not prevent me from artistic practice though it does make it a challenge. I see my creativity as a special therapy, because when I work on something, I almost forget about the health problems. And that’s why I used to say, that only God and art makes me who I am.