White Heron

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Svetlana Orinko is a world-renowned artist who has established herself as a leading master of watercolour and oil mediums over her 30-year career in New Zealand. She has a growing reputation as one of the country’s top artists and tutors, winning numerous awards and gaining a strong national and international following. Her extraordinary journey as an artist has been fuelled by her resilience, tenacity and unfettered curiosity.

Svetlana is celebrated for her incredible collection of work and relentless pursuit for artistic growth, and her willingness to push boundaries grants her work an authentic, timeless quality. 

After completing rigorous artistic training in a classical ‘Old Masters’ art education programme for ten years in her homeland, Svetlana was an accomplished and disciplined artist, but with limited opportunities to make a living. With a young daughter, and expecting her second, she made the life-changing decision to emigrate to New Zealand and arrived in rural Canterbury in 1992.

Today, Svetlana works from her studio in Fendalton, Christchurch. Covering an infinite variety of subjects, her sensitive, lyrical and atmospheric paintings have captivated people and galleries around the world. 

‍"I see beauty in the simple things. I am attracted to any subject matter that contains a strong abstract pattern and display interesting, beautiful colours. There is a poetry in simplicity. I look for how light transitions across a form. I like to transform my chosen subject into visual poetic language. Subject matter sometimes dictates whether I choose to work in watercolour or in oil or even in drawing but often it is simply a preference based on my mood. I am constantly striving to remain open to new possibilities and innovative ways and, if possible, not to remain stagnant all the time. "