Ukraine artist to unveil painting in St. Charles

As school let out, children filled the playgrounds in Chernigiv, Ukraine.

It was the mid-1970s, and one child was not playing.

Vitaly Mikhailov wandered the forests and parks. He wanted to spend time with nature and paint what he saw and felt.

"Since I can remember, I always knew I was going to be an artist," Mikhailov said through his wife and interpreter, Marina.

He said his painting gives him a sense of achievement.

"It means I spent time living this day with a purpose," he said. "Doing nothing means wasting time."

Mikhailov, 38, will attend the unveiling of his painting, "Heart of St. Charles," at 6:30 p.m. today at Kettley Realtors, 203 W. Main St., St. Charles. He will then visit La Galerie's tent at the St. Charles Fine Art Show from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

For the show's 10th anniversary, organizers wanted to do something special. So they commissioned an artist to create a series of paintings based on St. Charles.

They approached the owner of La Galerie in St. Charles, John Carlson.

Carlson had forged a relationship with Marina and Vitaly, who he met in May 2001 while traveling the Ukraine seeking a place to open an office for his art-selling business.

"I knew he could do it," Carlson said. "He is uniquely versatile. He can paint about anything. He's never done any style that he doesn't do well."

Carlson worked to coordinate Vitaly's visit with a two-month, multi-city U.S. tour. In the U.S., his work is featured in the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Arkansas, the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Maryland and a jazz club in New Orleans, among others.

During this trip, he will visit galleries in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and Lake Geneva. He will return to St. Charles between each stop.

Deanna Chrones, the communication coordinator for the partnership, said having Vitaly adds a little more to a show the community has received positively.

"It's going to be exhilarating for everybody involved to have someone of this caliber with this passion for artistic expression," she said.

Sometimes, Mikhailov enjoys his work so much he forgets to live, Marina said.

"You have to remind him to eat and sleep," she said. "You have to tell him, 'Come on back to real life, let's go for fun.' "

When he agreed to create the paintings for St. Charles, Mikhailov's creative process began anew. He walked through St. Charles looking for inspiration. When he found it, he began his work.

He isolated himself with his canvas and tried to lose himself in the work. When he does take a break, however, it's not a long one. Even on trips, he packs his gear.

"He never goes without his paint and paintbrushes," Marina said. "If he spends half a day not doing his painting, it means he's doing nothing."

One thing that makes Mikhailov's work so impressive is that he can work in several styles flawlessly, Carlson said. While he never delves into the business side of his work, he does make money selling the pieces.

But he is a perfectionist who never feels a painting is complete.

"If it were up to him, with unlimited funds, that painting would stay in his studio forever," he said.

Marina worked as the public relations director in 2000 for Lucent Technologies in Ukraine. As part of that job, she was asked to find an artist to create caricatures for the company. When she met Mikhailov, she was shocked at his talent and the different styles he had mastered.

"He changes his style just because of his mood," she said.

The couple married in 2002 and have two children, Anastasia and Pavel, and Vitaly helped raise Marina's son, Stas.

With his art, Mikhailov tries to recreate settings he has seen. And he paints them to please himself. The work has defined him, Marina said.

"That's his life," she said. "He lives in this world. His world is to paint."

Vitaly Mikhailov has advice for young artists.

"If you have a vision, take your vision and go to that goal," he said. "If you really want it, you'll get it."