About Elena
Elena Mashajeva 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. In 1991, Elena moved to Austria where she found her true passion: painting. In 2001, after years of rigorous training in Vienna, Elena moved to Los Angeles in hopes of new adventures and inspiration. What she found was her unique voice as an artist and a style that combined representational, impressionistic and abstract painting techniques. Instead of a brush, Elena uses different sized cement towels and palette knives, creating thick, luscious layers of oil paint that come to life.
"Whether realism or abstractionism - it's all the same to me! I work in many mediums and with different techniques but there is something particularly fun and challenging about painting with oil using a cement trowel. There is a certain challenge in handling delicate subjects using such a clunky object so at first it felt like arranging flowers wearing boxing gloves! But then you learn how to manipulate the trowel and the sense of satisfaction that comes with it when finishing a work that is both well crafted yet full of spontaneity. The best part about art is that it's not neurosurgery so when you make a mistake, nobody dies. Painting with a cement trowel or palette knife is about taking risks and painting from emotion rather than learned technique. I hope you my work as much as I enjoy making it!" - Elena
