Elena Degenhardt is a Siberia-born contemporary German artist, living in France, best known for her immersive, colour intense, large scale waterscapes and underwater figurative works and emotionally charged portraits. She creates realistic paintings with an impressionistic touch in pastel, charcoal, oil, acrylic and mixed media. Her application of pastel and charcoal in a painterly way, often in washes, on unusual painting surfaces (including product packaging), while pushing the boundaries of these dry mediums, has brought her international recognition and awards. A Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and Master Pastelist of the International Association of Pastel Societies, Degenhardt has shown her work extensively in national and international curated, invitational and juried gallery and museum exhibitions, including the Mall Galleries, London, UK, Salmagundi Club and National Arts Club in NYC, USA, The Atkinson Museum Southport, UK, Museum Ostwald at Dortmund U, Germany. Her work has been featured in major art publications, including Fine Art Connoisseur, PleinAir Magazine, American Art Collector, Pastel Journal, Artists and Illustrators, PoetsArtists publications and Pratique des Arts. Degenhardt’s multicultural and multilingual background and frequent relocations have influenced the choice of themes she explores in her art: lost (and found) identities, bonds and boundaries, fragility of life and fears, memory and time, drawing inspiration from her profound connection to the sea.