Alexey Petruhin

Alexey Petruhin, the leading marine painter of Crimea, was born in 1964, in Nikolaev. From early childhood, he watched ships coming in and out of the bay, light reflecting on the surface of the water, seagulls soaring in the sky. Later, while living in Odessa, he fell in love with the sea, the spirit of the ancient city, its winding streets, and sunny beaches, the air filled with the aroma of adventures, history, and its unmistakable southern character.

Alexey went sailing often and he continuously tried to express his emotional exaltation on canvas. He literally painted for days and nights. It is not a coincidence that his paintings are filled with light. Only an artist living near the sea could only develop such a beaming palette: an artist who grew up by the sea, by its waves and reflections; an artist who is spiritually connected to the sea. That is why seascapes are his favorite subject – warm or cold, light or dark – they are always majestic.

The love for painting brought Alexey to the Kharkov Academy of Art and Design. Upon graduation, Alexei decided to devote himself to plein air painting – the most difficult, yet the most authentic. Plein air is often associated with very uncomfortable conditions, but as a reward, the artist receives the most intimate connection with nature. You get to work in an environment which is impossible to describe or replicate in the studio. Alexey is the follower of the Russian Realism School of landscape painting. His works are sincere, raw, void of any photographic dryness, rich in color and remarkable in the precision of the moment. Truly, the nature itself is Alexei’s workshop; he travels extensively, exploring every opportunity that his “workshop” gives him. That is why his works are so different from one another – nature is always changing. Alexey is a regular competitor in the most prestigious national and international exhibitions. He is a member of the Artist’s Union of Ukraine.