ABOUT
After graduating with honors, I received a scholarship to study at the State University of Industrial Technologies and Design in Saint Petersburg. Looking back, those years remain some of my favorite memories. I was surrounded by artists, professors, dreamers, and creative minds from every direction. Saint Petersburg, with its incredible museums and European artistic heritage, left a lasting mark on me—and a piece of that inspiration will always live in my work.
Hello! My name is Elena also know as Helen B
My love for art began at an early age. At nine years old, I was accepted into an academic art school, where I spent the next nine years studying painting, drawing, composition, technical illustration, art history, architecture, museum studies, and design. Those years built the strong artistic foundation that still shapes my work today.
After university I met my future husband Igor! Spent 7 years in art school himself, he encouraged me to began my career as an independent artist. It’s always been a huge support! During those years I worked on a wide variety of creative projects—commissioned portraits, landscape paintings, café branding, menu design, face painting and digital illustrations. Together with Igor we participated in a big project creating the complete visual identity and illustrations for an online language school. Working closely with educators introduced me to the world of teaching and showed me how thoughtful creativity can inspire learning.
When we moved to the United States, I continued expanding both my artistic and teaching experience. I worked as a preschool teacher and as an ABA behavior technician, which helped me better understand American education while strengthening my English. At the same time, I continued creating commissioned artwork, illustrating children’s books, designing for local businesses, and studying classical oil painting through a master class with artist Natalie Richy.
One of the most meaningful moments in my journey happened when my husband and I met Margaret Mead, who had run a beloved local art studio in Centreville, VA for more than thirty years.
As she prepared to retire, she encouraged me to continue sharing art with the community. Her generosity and belief in me gave me the confidence to start teaching from my own home studio. The red accent you’ll see throughout ArtView’s branding is a small tribute to Margaret and the encouragement she gave me when I needed it most.
Today, after falling in love with the welcoming community of Manassas, we are excited to open the doors of ArtView Studio to children, teens, adults, and seniors alike.
Our goal is simple: to create a place where classical artistic foundations meet creativity, curiosity, and personal expression. Whether you’re picking up a pencil for the first time or returning to art after many years, you’ll find a supportive environment where everyone works at their own pace and develops their own unique artistic voice.
Because in the end, everything depends on your point of view.
Make it ArtView
