About Olga
Olga Dorenko was born in 1966 in Uzbekistan in the former Soviet Union. As the daughter of a military official, Olga’s childhood was spent moving around the vastly different regions of the Soviet Union, ending in eastern Ukraine. In Ukraine, Olga received a traditional Soviet education, attended the Krivoy Rog Art Institute where she received many top honors during her studies. During her breaks from school her family traveled throughout the Soviet Union. These trips greatly impacted Olga. It was here that a deep passion for the ever-changing landscape kindled. Olga’s enthusiasm for seeking beauty and inspiration in her surroundings evolved during this time, her abiding love of nature is characterized in much of her art.
Upon graduation from the Krivoy Rog Art Institute, Olga worked for the Russian National Theater as a poster and mural painter. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed and her country was in turmoil, Olga was forced to leave her homeland. In 1998, Olga arrived in North Carolina, where she has since remained, becoming a proud American citizen in 2008 and fulfilling her dream. In 2006, she opened her own gallery, the Olga Dorenko Fine Art Gallery, and later, in Autumn 2009, opened Olga Dorenko Fine Art Studio several miles outside of Asheville in Leicester, NC.
“I have experienced many changes in my life, and my art reflects these changes. As a child, my family moved throughout the Soviet Union. Later, as a young mother, I immigrated to the United States. Nature’s beauty was constant throughout all these changes. Flowers and trees, sunsets and snowfall are beautiful on both sides of the ocean and in any corner of the world. Life is ever changing. My paintings pursue the everlasting. “
Olga has clients in twenty states, as well as Germany, England, and Canada, many of whom have followed her successes, becoming avid collectors of her work. Her art is found in many private collections, as well as Hilton Hotels, the Biltmore Estate, and other notable locations throughout the country.
“My paintings, inspired by local, national, and international landscapes, highlight color and light. I have always had a deep appreciation for color. As a classical art student in the former Soviet Union, I spent a considerable amount of time mixing and blending colors. This longstanding and intense relationship with color in my artistic training is displayed in my current work. Through my use of color, I can lend a contemporary interpretation to my otherwise realistic landscapes.
In addition to color, I also have a deep appreciation for Asian art techniques and styles. I greatly admire the gentle light, vivid brushwork and painstaking detail of the Russian artist Ivan Shishkin. I strive to pay homage to these inspirations in my own work.
Nature also plays an important role in my paintings. I am continuously inspired by nature’s variable colors and the beauty found in both rural and urban landscapes. My most recent work has been a celebration of the natural beauty found throughout Western North Carolina.”