Born and raised in a working class family in Efremov, Russia in 1973, Svetlana Shalygina grew up sketching and painting the vast Russian landscape and developing a deep interest in poetry, music, literature and classical art. Pursuing her desire to become an artist, she travelled to Moscow, St Petersburg and other major cities of Europe to broaden her knowledge and combine the wider scope of Contemporary Expressionism with her appreciation for Classical Art. In her early twenties she took an opportunity arose to live in America and leave her cultural roots behind. Early days in the ‘Big Apple’ were extremely difficult, but eventually she settled in Arizona where her artistic talents were discovered and encouraged by a flourishing fellow artist and her creative vision was realized.