Elena Zelenina is a New York based exhibiting artist, member of the National Association of Women Artists and her work is in the private collections in the US, Russia, India, Ger-many and Greece.
Her childhood in Russia was defined by neutral color fantasies, fairy tale dreams, winter wonderlands, and a hindering idea that she needs to predetermine her future at the ten-der age of 6. As a child, Elena was surrounded by greatness. She grew up in the studios of two artists: M.BIryukov (1926-1995), her stepfather and Godfather, and N.Gladkih (1927-1995), her uncle. Spending summers by the sea watching her uncle painting with all shades of blue and green or being in the studio alongside her stepfather shaped her to a great extent. They differ significantly in their art as they magnified the beauty of the real world, and she often paints the unmanifested reality.
For years Elena wondered who she was as an artist and if she had the right to call herself by that name. Even now, she feels vulnerable when she stands in front of her audience in this capacity. Elena met her creative destiny while surrounded by vibrant ineffable colors of India. In 2008, she trekked the Himalayan mountains where she stood above the clouds in complete awe of the place and the creation. A shock wave went through her body. She is now one step closer to realizing who she is and what she is doing here on Earth. Explor-ing India became her new normal. The music, the food, the colors, the spirit was almost addictive. It was a virtuous circle. As she went deeper into herself, she felt the craving to come back again and again. During her travels, she discovered the navigation map of the Creative Spirit, Vedic Art. It’s like the compass we have in our being to find the way to the chamber of peace in our heart. Then, when you dip your brush in light, space and bliss, you get a chance to glimpse into eternity. Suddenly, it was revealed to her – why we are the way we are, why art is the way it is. Tapping into that energy keeps her creative river flowing. It excites her and entices her every day.
In 2013, Elena Zelenina became a certified Vedic Art Instructor which defined her true purpose: her identity as an artist is to help others experience the state of Oneness and their highest potential, the concepts she explores at length in her book “Art Completes. Exercises to Develop Your Individual Vision, Self-Expression & Artistic Skill”. She became an ardent arts advocate with the teaching art experience spanning the US, Russia, and In-dia and worked as a curator for several projects.