These pieces, mostly prints, have been influenced by my Russian cultural background. My upbringing included doting Russian grandparents, attending and occasionally singing in the choir of the Russian Orthodox church, and Russian émigré summer-camp experiences in the woods singing nostalgic songs about the czar and birch trees. My various trips Russia to study, work and travel had a profound aesthetic influence on me, and I am fascinated with old church architecture, icons and folk designs. I have chosen to focus on the samovar as a symbol of Russian life. The samovar is an urn-like vessel with a spigot used to heat water for tea, and it is as ornate and beautiful as it is ubiquitous to the Russian household. The samovar as an object has just the right self-containment, and head-like proportions to be considered a self-portrait. This aspect interests me, and ties in neatly with another body of work I continue: self-portraits that examine the issue of cultural identity and expectations.

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