Olga Bakhtina was born and raised in Syktyvkar, Russia but spent the last 20+ years living overseas. After living in the United Kingdom, the Philippines, the Sultanate of Oman, Olga has lived with her family in Australia since 2013. Olga has a deep passion for Russian literature, human psychology, photography, theatre and history of art. The Paris Period at the end of the 19th to mid 20th century is Olga’s favourite period in the history of painting. Some of her favourite artists include Matisse, Soutine, Modigliani, Derain, Vlaminck and Chagall. Favourites, both for the depth of their work as well their intriguing life stories. Stories that are strongly reflected in their art. In her own art, Olga enjoys portraiture and the human figure with a preference for strong brushwork and vibrant colours. Ultimately she looks for emotion in paintings. What the Russian sculptor Jacques Lipchitz said about Modgiliani is something that rings very true for Olga: “His art was an art of personal feeling […] obviously guided by a completely intuitive, extremely fine and sensitive feeling, which was perhaps linked to his origins and his love of the paintings of the Early Renaissance.” Olga paints from her home studio in Brisbane where she lives with her husband and three children.

“A few years ago my family and I lived in Muscat, the capital of Sultanate of Oman. The most beautiful city of the Middle East, where people from lots of different cultures live together in peace and harmony. The real jewel of the Middle East, our time there will always stay in my heart. One day walking on the ancient souk, looking for treasures I stopped speechless in front of an antique quilt in amazing turquoise and all shades of blues. It was made of a collection of cuts out of silk fabrics, embroidered with beads, pieces of mirror, sequels and pearls. The harmony of colours in an organised chaos. Perfect imperfections and a pure piece of art!”