About
Michael & Inessa Garmash
Michael
Garmash
was born in 1969 in Lugansk, Ukraine.
He began painting at the age of three and by six started his formal
education at the Lugansk Youth Creative Center. His works were sent
by his teachers to a variety of Exhibitions in Ukraine, Russia,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Michael received first prizes at several
juried Exhibitions, including the Lugansk Regional Juried Exhibition-1977
(Best Poster), the Czechoslovakian International Youth Competition-1978,
and the Hungarian International Art Competition of Circus Related
Art-1978.
In
1987, he graduated valedictorian from the Lugansk State Fine Art College
and started teaching there the following year. From 1989 to 1991,
he served in the army and in 1992 began studying at the St. Petersburg
Academy of Art. Michael graduated from this prestigious school five
years later at the head of his class.
1977
was a memorable year. A documentary about outstanding achievers in
art, featuring Valueva, was shown in movie theaters across Russia.
The same year she was highlighted on the front page of a popular monthly
magazine "Soviet Union". Few realize achieving this fame in their
lifetime, much less as a youngster.
During his student years, Michael started exhibiting in France, at
galleries in such cities as Paris, St. Etienne, Avignon, Lion and
Marcel. Michael also took part in the annual Exhibitions in St. Petersburg,
Russia. In addition to painting, Michael has also excelled in the
creation of stained-glass windows and received an honorary medal for
his work in the Suvorov Military Museum in St. Petersburg.
Inessa
Kitaichik
was born in 1972 in Lipetsk, Russia.
Since early childhood she has excelled in ballet, gymnastics and
music. Inessa attended classes in all three disciplines and, after
graduating from music and ballet school, entered the Lugansk Fine
Art School at age fifteen. At seventeen she was accepted as that
year's best undergraduate to the Lugansk State Fine Art School.
AN
ART LOVE STORY
During his stint
in the army, Michael returned to his former school on a two-week vacation.
The last day of his visit he met Inessa at a bus station; the next
day Michael didn't return to his division. Inessa woke that day to
her image painted all around the city surrounding her house-on the
road, on the walls of buildings and the walls of her apartment staircase.
Michael had spent the night painting; he was arrested first by the
city police, then handed over to the army MP's, but he was not punished.
(Even military personnel can sympathize with true love!) One year
later, Michael and Inessa returned to the same bus station. Michael
hung a bouquet of flowers on the station sign to commemorate the place
where they met; the beginning of their "at-first-glance" love story.
In
similar spontaneous fashion, the two began painting together. Several
years after their marriage, Michael began a painting of their daughter
for a project at school. However, their two-year old found the painting
during his absence and painted her own version of the subject. Inessa,
not wanting Michael to be upset, fixed the painting, packed it up
and gave it to him to submit. Michael handed the painting over for
review and was told it was his best work ever. He was surprised to
see the "new" painting and immediately recognized his wife's hand.
Since
then, Michael and Inessa have worked together creating paintings,
stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings. They have exhibited in
Sweden, France, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and Finland. They continue
working with their daughter Polina as a model and occasionally include
themselves in their compositions.
