I was born and raised in the former Soviet Union, where I studied fine art from age seven. My family and I fled the country as Jewish refugees at the end of the Cold War and settled in Chicago. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, earning a BFA in Design and Visual Communication, and later completed a Master’s in Advertising Design from Syracuse University. For most of my career I worked as a designer and advertising art director, pausing painting for nearly two decades to pursue a more traditional career and raise a family. I picked up the brush again in 2012 and have been painting daily ever since. I create across subjects—from people and places to imaginary creatures. In 2015, I launched Draw Me A Monster, an ongoing art project that builds monsters from other people’s imaginations. I’ve drawn monsters for people around the world—from global CEOs to residents of remote villages in Vietnam and Mexico—well over 2,000 to date. I now live in Toronto with my teenage sons, a dog, and a couple of very sneaky mice.…I was born and raised in the former Soviet Union, where I studied fine art from age seven. My family and I fled the country as Jewish refugees at the end of the Cold War and settled in Chicago. I studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, earning a BFA in Design and Visual Communication, and later completed a Master’s in Advertising Design from Syracuse University. For most of my career I worked as a designer and advertising art director, pausing painting for nearly two decades to pursue a more traditional career and raise a family. I picked up the brush again in 2012 and have been painting daily ever since. I create across subjects—from people and places to imaginary creatures. In 2015, I launched Draw Me A Monster, an ongoing art project that builds monsters from other people’s imaginations. I’ve drawn monsters for people around the world—from global CEOs to residents of remote villages in Vietnam and Mexico—well over 2,000 to date. I now live in Toronto with my teenage sons, a dog, and a couple of very sneaky mice.WWWW…