Olga Dorenko was born in 1966 in Uzbekistan in the former Soviet Union. As the daughter of a military official, Olga’s childhood was spent moving around the vastly different regions of the Soviet Union. Her family left Uzbekistan after seven years and moved to Sakhalin, in the far east of Siberia, where they remained for five years before relocating to eastern Ukraine.

In Ukraine, Olga received a traditional Soviet education and then attended the Krivoy Rog Art Institute where she studied for five years, receiving many top honors during her studies. During her breaks from school her family traveled throughout the Soviet Union. These trips greatly impacted Olga. It was here that a deep passion for the ever-changing landscape was kindled. Olga’s enthusiasm for seeking beauty and inspiration in her surroundings evolved during this time, her abiding love of nature is characterized in much of her art. Upon graduation from the Krivoy Rog Art Institute, Olga worked for the Russian National Theater as a poster and mural painter. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed and her country was in turmoil, Olga was forced to leave her homeland.

In 1998, Olga arrived in North Carolina, where she has since remained, becoming a proud American citizen in 2008, and fulfilling her dream. In 2006, she opened her own gallery, the Olga Dorenko Fine Art Gallery, and has become a successful and respected artist in the greater Asheville area. Olga Dorenko Fine Art Studio opened in Autumn 2009 in Leicester, several miles outside of Asheville, where she interprets the surrounding mountains and valleys into highly detailed paintings and vivid watercolors. Olga’s paintings have been described as powerful, evocative, vibrant, and inspiring, and are often charged with a depth of feeling, thus allowing the viewer access to her inner joy – truly compelling for those who appreciate fine art. Olga has clients in twenty states as well as in Germany, England, and Canada, many of whom have followed her successes, becoming avid collectors of her work. Her art is found in many private collections, as well as in Hilton Hotels, among other notable locations throughout the country.

Olga’s work is a unique fusion of traditional subject matter and a contemporary color scheme and painting techniques. Her landscapes are embedded with emotion and movement. As a young artist, she was greatly influenced by the great Russian landscapist, Ivan Shishkin, and the modern painter Eyvind Earle. She also greatly admires Japanese ink paintings. These influences are evident in Olga’s prolific body of work, and shared on her website at olgadorenko.com. Written by Anne Connolly