A   PASSION   FOR   GEMS

As a boy, Ilya was facinated by the discovery of a piece of amber lying on the beach of the Baltic Sea.  "Within that stone" he said, "I saw a moment frozen in time for millions of years." It was a life-changing experience.  "From that moment on, I wanted to know what mysteries lay hidden in the hearts of every stone". Thus began his lifelong obsession with stones.  Wherever he went, Ilya collected seashells, gems and even ordinary rocks to break apart and examine.

His fascination for gems grew as Ilya matured - so did his gem and mineral collection.  He became a dental surgeon, but the love for the stones eventually ignited an artistic passion.  Coming home from work, Ilya would experiment with stones from his collection by gluing them into small compositions on wood, canvas, and paper.  Tweezers, dental pics, hooks, probes, and scalpels were all employed  in his adept hands to manipulate the tiny fragments.  Soon Ilya began creating works on a larger scale and the house became crowded with gem paintings.  Wherever Ilya went, he studied nature.  With the aid of a photographic memory he was able to depict in vivid color his unique interpretation of nature's gifts.