Portrait with group of men, 2001

Leonid K.  

Born in the village of Ostrov, what a beautiful name, located in the Rivne region. His parents were teachers; his mother taught elementary school, and his father was a geography teacher and school principal. “I had a happy childhood. If there's a paradise on Earth, it's in childhood. Our village is situated on the right bank of the Styr River, and beyond the village, there is a beautiful lake and forest…" the artist shares his memory.

He studied at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, majoring in geography (1976 – 1981). He worked at one of the research institutes in Lviv, dealing with cartography and aerial photography. He started painting at the age of 32 or 33. He was gifted a book by A. Winner, “How to Work on Landscape Painting with Oil Colors." Getting acquainted with it gave him a strong impetus to seriously engage in painting. “I appreciate the painting of various times and artists, including Velázquez, Rubens, Post-Impressionists, D. Burlyuk, M. Boychuk and the Boychukists, and in the realm of sculpture – O. Archipenko. In painting, color is a priority for me…" Leonid explains.
He creates urban landscapes, scenery, still lifes, nudes, abstract and graphic works, and illustrates books. He works in various techniques.