Oleg Koulikov was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and was inspired at an early age by the works of Marc Chagall, Paul Klee and Maurice Utrillo. While studying at the prestigious Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he majored in art history, Oleg’s interest in the world of art was carefully refined.

After graduating, Oleg took traveled the world - absorbing all that he saw. To this day he draws on the many images of his travels as a resource for his still lifes and landscapes. Oleg has always had a rich dream life and it further inspires his work and explains his playful distortion of perspective.

With the encaustic medium each painting is literally infused with color and texture that is unique to this very special technique.  Employing a palette reminiscent of the Dutch masters, Oleg’s work never ceases to delight.

Encaustic

Encaustic literally means, "burning in". Encaustic painting (hot wax) comes to us from ancient Greece. Beeswax is the oldest known pigment binder. In encaustic painting pigment is added to molten bees wax and resins and then applied to a surface (canvas, paper, stone, wood).  The surface itself may be warmed allowing for manipulation of the encaustic paint. On the other the surface may be cool, causing the brushstroke to "freeze" immediately.  It is a good medium for creating texture although it may be polished to a high luster if desired.

The final treatment is the “burning in” which consists of passing a heat source over the surface, causing a fusing and bonding of the painting. Encaustic does not yellow over time, is unaffected by moisture, and is impervious to fading.