Katya Gridneva Ukraine, b. 1965

Highly talented Russian figurative artist - trained at  the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg

Katya Gridneva was born in Chernigov, Ukraine and loved to draw and paint as a child. This talent was set aside when she was selected to be a gymnast at one of Russia’s prestigious Sports Schools. Unfortunately, this career came to an abrupt end when she was injured in a fall from the bar. Her love of dance is now portrayed in her oil, pastel and charcoal drawings and paintings. Katya studied portraiture at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts where she met her husband, the artist Valeriy Gridnev. Since moving to London in 1999, Katya has exhibited at the London Pastel Society, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.