Elena Chatokhina I have been paint i n g from the a g e of 9 through all my l i fe. I started from Art schoo l , than Trad i t i onal folk Russ i an Art on the wood, books illustrat i on for k i ds, l ater do i ng makeup and body ar t , temporary tattoos but a l ways wasn't sat i sfied and had a very strong fee l i ng that i have someth i ng deeper i ns i de to express myse l f , to show, to tec h , to he l p others through my Art, but ra i s i ng 2 k i ds and running my own bus i ness never really gave me the time to paint for myself, for p l easure. Until my k i ds were k i dnapped and i had no chance of commun i cat i on with them anymore. At the age of 4 2 , I found myse l f without my family and my home. Leav i ng through stres s , pain, broken heart, wounded sou l , be i ng at the deepest life botto m , pushed me to express myself through the Art. All that remains in my life now is my ability to create, to express myself, to put all my feelings and emotions on the canvas. My i ntent i ons and g oa l s now are to reach out and convey the meaning of my pa i nt i ngs to people through my art, to l et them see and understand it. I wou l d like to expose my pa i nt i ng to as much as possib l e to peop l e , to get known and help peop l e throu g h my art to be stron g , l eave throu g h diff i cu l t i es and never give up, to bel i eve i n themselves.