(1964 - ) Andrei Kioresku was born in the Urals region of Russia. He graduated in 1988 from Art College and in 1994 from St. Petersburg Art University in Mouchina. Kioresku received his diploma in 1995 from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. The artist’s works are among private collections in Europe, America and Russia. He presently resides in St. Petersburg. Andrei Kioresku's style could be characterized as subjective realism or post impressionistic - reminiscent of Gaugin or Cezanne. He experiments with texture and materials and seeks to be a beautiful colorist. Andrei states, “my task is to combine the emotion of Levitan and the language of Gaugin with my own imagination in order to create beautiful Russian landscapes.” Even though the artist often travels to his native Urals Mountains for inspiration, he never paints on site. Reality does not dictate his expression. Kioresku paints only from his imagination and tries to convey his desire for a world of peace, beauty, and harmony between humankind and nature. In this vein, he is an ideal romanticist. He wants his paintings not to shock, as does the revolutionary, but to give joy, happiness and optimism - the hope that life will go on and never finish. The process used by Kioresku in preparing his canvases is at least 300 years old and was employed by great masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci. The artist uses heavy canvas material such as jute or burlap to achieve texture. This material (usually rice sacks) was also used by Gauguin for the same purpose. Irregularities, seams, and slubs are retained for interest and lend themselves to the primitive nature of some of the artist's themes. After stretching and stapling the fabric onto the stretcher bars, Kioresku applies one or two coats of gelatin substance (animal glue) to seal the porous canvas. After thoroughly drying, a coat of gesso is applied. After drying and lightly sanding, two or more coats may be added depending on the weave and texture of the fabric. The process usually takes two or three days and produces a smooth, white canvas with a distinctive character.*