Olga Dorenko

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 attended the Krivoy Rog Art Institute. During breaks from school, she and her family traveled throughout the Soviet Union, kindling a passion for the ever-changing landscape. Her enthusiasm for seeking beauty and inspiration in the 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 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. It was during this time, Olga became a proud American citizen fulfilling her dream. 

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.”