Elena was born in the former Soviet Union. She graduated from the University of Vladimir Ulyanov Lenin in St. Petersburg with an Engineering Degree, specializing in medical electronics. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Elena moved to Austria where she began to take classes at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and found her true passion: painting. After years of rigorous training, Elena moved to Los Angeles in 2001 in hopes of finding new inspiration. What she found was her unique style, derived from studying the techniques of the old masters at the LA Academy of Figurative Art in 2005 and exploring different mediums.

Elena’s distinct method and vision has been awarded and respected by many institutes in the United States including The American Art Awards and The Richeson 75 International.

In addition, Elena became a member of the California Art Club and joined Painters of America in 2009.

She has recently been shortlisted for the Annya Sand Eastern Art Prize at the Russian Art Fair 2010 in London.