Elena Golubkova was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1965. She started painting in middle school to eventually enroll in Moscow State College of Design and Applied Arts. After graduation with honors, she continued her art education at the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts from where she graduated cum laude in early 1990’s with a master’s degree in industrial design.

Upon graduation, Elena worked for a number of design bureaus and printing companies which allowed her to start her own advertising business. After successfully selling her company in 2013, she was appointed Deputy CEO and Chief of Marketing at a major publishing house. Throughout her business journey, Elena never stopped painting and experimenting with various media – from ink and watercolors on silk to charcoal and oil on canvas. In 2018, she decided not to move forward with business endeavors to seriously focus on her career in art. As of recently, she creates works mostly in oil painting technique, focusing on still life and landscape. According to Elena, unlike other media, oil allows to repaint specific fragments and precisely incarnate her vision.

When asked about her approach to painting, Elena explains:  “As an artist, I am intrigued by the world of things that surround us in everyday life. With their help, I express my own attitude towards reality. In my work, I am specifically inspired by the still lifes of European painters of the first half of the 20th century.”  Having received a classical art education, Elena eventually transitioned from academic painting to modern realism. Her works are kept in private collections in Europe (Bulgaria, Baltics, and Russia) and the United States.

In 2022, Elena immigrated to the US and currently lives in San Francisco. “I am particularly driven by the opportunity to join California’s art community and continue my creative experiments in this genuinely inspiring environment,” – Elena noted.