Michael and Inessa Garmash | Romantic Impressionist painters

Michael and Inessa Garmash have created beautiful paintings, stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings exhibited all over Europe.
Michael Garmash began a painting of their daughter for a project at school several years after their marriage. However, their two-year-old found the painting during his absence and painted her own version of the subject. Inessa Garmash, not wanting Michael to be upset, fixed the painting, packed it up and gave it to him to submit. Michael handed the painting over for review and was told it was his best work ever. He was surprised to see the "new" painting and immediately recognized his wife's hand.

Since then, Michael and Inessa Garmash have worked together creating paintings, stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings. They have exhibited in Sweden, France, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and Finland. They continue working with their daughter Polina as a model and occasionally include themselves in their compositions.

It all started in the little town of Lugansk in Ukraine, 1969. An early starter, Mr. Garmash began painting at the age of three. By age six he started his formal education at the Lugansk Youth Creative Center. Recognizing rare, natural talent, his teachers sent his works to a variety of exhibitions in the then Soviet Union.

An award winning artist from the onset, Mr. Garmash received first prizes at several juried exhibitions, including the Lugansk Regional Juried Exhibition, 1977 (Best Poster), the Czechoslovakian International Youth Competition, 1978, and the Hungarian International Art Competition of Circus Related Art, 1978.

After graduating, valedictorian from the Lugansk State Fine Art College in 1987, Mr. Garmash began teaching there the following year. From 1989 to 1991, he served in the army (when he met his wife and partner, Inessa) and in 1992 began studying at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art. Prior to graduating at the top of his prestigious school’s class, Mr. Garmash exhibited in France at galleries in cities such as Paris, St. Etienne, Avignon, Lion and Marcel.

Mr. Garmash also took part in the annual Exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Russia. In addition to painting, he has also excelled in the creation of stained-glass windows and received an honorary medal for his work in the Suvorov Military Museum in St. Petersburg.

Ms. Garmash, born Inessa Kitaichik in 1972 Lipetsk, Russia, has excelled in the arts since early childhood. Proving herself in ballet, gymnastics and music, Ms. Garmash attended classes in all three disciplines and, after graduating from music and ballet school, entered the Lugansk Fine Art School at age fifteen. At seventeen she was accepted as that year's best undergraduate to the Lugansk State Fine Art School.

Today, Mr. and Mrs. Garmash are considered two of the finest Romantic Impressionists of our day. Their incredible talent is only matched by their love and career stories. In similar fashion to the determination of his artwork, Mr. Garmash courted his future wife, after seeing her for but a moment, by painting her image all over her hometown while she slept. She immediately recognized the passion with which this man cared so dearly and married him shortly thereafter.

The Garmashs began their artistic collaboration in much the same way. Several years after their marriage, Mr. Garmash began a painting of their two-year old daughter, Polina, for a project at school.

However, Polina found the painting during her father’s absence and decided to embark upon her own artistic career. Ms. Garmash, after seeing what her daughter had done and not wanting her husband to be upset, fixed the painting using her own training, packed it up and gave it to him for submission. Mr. Garmash submitted the painting for review and was praised for completing his best work ever.

He was surprised to see the "new" painting and immediately recognized his wife's hand. They have painted together every since.

Michael e Inessa Garmash sono una coppia unita nella vita e nel lavoro. Le loro opere sono di chiara ispirazione Impressionista.

Nato nella piccola città di Lugansk, in Ucraina, nel 1969, il signor Garmash dimostra eccezionali doti artistiche fin da piccolissimo. Ha studiato al Lugansk Youth Creative Center,e, riconoscendo in lui un raro talento naturale, i suoi insegnanti inviarono le sue opere ad una serie di esposizioni in Unione Sovietica.

Artista riconosciuto ed affermato fin dall'inizio, Michael Garmash ha ricevuto i primi premi in diverse mostre, tra cui Lugansk Regional Juried Exhibition nel 1977 (Best Poster), la Czechoslovakian International Youth Competition nel 1978, e Hungarian International Art Competition of Circus Related Art, sempre nel 1978.

Dopo la laurea presso il Lugansk State Fine Art College nel 1987, il signor Garmash ha iniziato a lavorare come insegnante nello stesso istituto fin dall'anno successivo. Dal 1989 al 1991 ha prestato servizio nell'esercito (quando ha incontrato sua moglie e partner, Inessa) e nel 1992 ha iniziato a studiare presso la St. Petersburg Academy of Art dove si è laureato con il massimo dei voti.

Le opere del signor Garmash sono esposte soprattutto in Francia, nelle mostre e nelle gallerie di Parigi, St. Etienne, Avignone, Lione e Marcel, e in Russia, a San Pietroburgo. Oltre alla pittura, il signor Garmash si dedica alla creazione di splendide vetrate.

Inessa Kitaichik è nata nel 1972 a Lipetsk, in Russia, mostrando anche lei un notevole talento sin dall'infanzia, non solo nel campo dell'arte, ma anche nel balletto, la ginnastica e la musica. A 15 anni si iscrive al Lugansk Fine Art School dove perfeziona la sua tecnica pittorica.

Dopo aver conosciuto e sposato Michael Garmash, i percorsi artistici dei due seguono comunque strade differenti, e il loro sodalizio artistico è nato solo qualche anno dopo il matrimonio, grazie alla loro bimba, Polina.

Si racconta che il signor Garmash iniziò un dipinto della figlia di due anni, Polina, per un progetto a scuola. Polina, evidentemente attratta come tutti i bambini da pennelli e colori, approfittò dell'assenza del padre per dare il suo "tocco personale" all'opera. Inessa, accortasi delle "modifiche" apportate dalla bambina, cercò di sistemare il dipinto usando la sua abilità pittorica. Alla presentazione del dipinto, l'opera, che univa lo stile e il tocco dei due coniugi, piacque talmente che da allora i due hanno collaborato nel dare vita a quasi tutte le loro opere.

Da questa unione, nella vita come nell'arte, nascono dipinti dal sapore antico, i colori brillanti e un'immediatezza visiva che portano i coniugi Garmash ad essere tra i pittori impressionisti più seguiti degli ultimi tempi.