Biography

Alyona Kostina was first introduced to art by her father while growing up in Soviet Russia. Born in a small town in Western Siberia, she had not considered art as a career. Her father, a fire chief, wanted to make his family’s life more picturesque. He stained glass doors and painted the walls of their home with her mother’s favorite flowers. She admired his passion for art and enjoyed spending time with him drawing.

Alyona attended college in Russia, graduating with two degrees, a Master of Arts in Language Arts, and a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering. She taught high school English and German before going to work in the oil and gas industry as a Field Engineer. It was her career with Halliburton that brought her to Oklahoma City in 2011. In 2015, she went to work for Devon Energy as a Petrophysicist.

Alyona’s passion for art reignited when she lost a bet to a colleague, and as payment had to paint a portrait of him. Her colleagues and friends, being impressed with her talent, encouraged her to continue her passion for making art. While maintaining her career in the oil and gas industry, she continued to grow her artistic talent and began selling her work. As of March 2019, she became a full-time professional artist.

Alyona believes her best artwork is achieved when she expresses that fleeting emotional moment by capturing a glimpse of life that was here one second and gone the next. Considering we are all connected by energy, she tries to capture the invisible connection and gesture of life in her work. Although she primarily works in oils, Alyona also creates wool art, which she finds sweet, warm, and full of texture. She believes it is an excellent medium for art therapy. She discovered a love for watercolor despite quitting art school as a teenager because she was disappointed in her results with the medium. She now loves the loose technique and flow of working in watercolor.

When not busy making art, Alyona volunteers to teach drawing and painting classes to children and adults. In her spare time, she enjoys taking piano lessons with her daughter, spending quality time with her husband, and raising their puppy.