Unlike most children’s drawings of stick figure people or cars, my very first drawing was of mushrooms, at around age 3. I’ve continued falling in love with the natural world since then.

In first grade, I immigrated with my family from Moldova/Ukraine to the concrete jungle of New York City—and decades later, I still feel like a straddler of ecosystems and cultures.

I’ve now lived in six countries and traveled to dozens more. Each land has its own beauty, though I’m most drawn to wild landscapes and cultures different from my own. I still feel a sense of wonder in seeing every new flower, bird, nebula, landscape—and hope to convey that small magic through art. I try to capture the true essence of a place, and my paintings have grown increasingly more abstract over time in my efforts to do so.

Art is one of two great loves. As a child, I studied painting every weekend for a decade under the tutelage of a local artist. But when it came time to pick a career, I chose to study environmental science and economics at Stanford rather than art, and have focused my professional career thus far on climate change solutions. I want to be of service to our planet, and to ensure that the beauty I see in the world remains for future generations. In my day job, I look for ways to creatively finance reforestation efforts following intense wildfires.

I hope that my art someday has a complementary impact, and helps others see this planet as one worth fighting for, conserving, and restoring.