Elena Illichova
Painter · member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine · author of Blade & Socks
Realism, experimental painting, portraiture, still life and conceptual projects. Painting since 1978 — and teaching the way she paints: every layer in front of the student.
- 40 years of painting, since 1978
- 3,000 paintings in private and museum collections
- 2,000+ students
- Author of Blade & Socks Art Technologies
- Author of 200+ video lessons and 30 online courses
Biography
Olena Illichova is a Ukrainian painter whose practice spans traditional realism, experimental painting techniques, portraiture, still life and conceptual art projects. She studied at the M. B. Grekov Odesa State Art College and graduated from the K. D. Ushynsky Odesa Pedagogical Institute. She taught painting and drawing at the Grekov College for several years and has worked as an independent artist since 1980.
Her work has been shown in Ukraine and internationally through solo exhibitions, biennials, art fairs, museum exhibitions, auctions and projects of AURUM Art Centre and AURUM Art Gallery. That experience grew into Blade & Socks — painting with a blade and fabric — which Olena teaches in the school’s online courses.
Method
Blade & Socks is Olena’s own technique: a thick underpainting spread with a blade, texture and light built with fabric and glazes. The school’s courses teach it from a first still life to a multi-figure composition.
About the technique →Selected exhibitions
- 1998
Solo exhibition — Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art
- 2007
“Angel’s Journey” — Princesse de Kiev Gallery, Nice
- 2011
“The Old Masters’ Manuscripts” — Smolny Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
- 2022
ART Shopping Paris — Carrousel du Louvre, Paris
- 2022
“Alone…” — Art.City.People Gallery, Berlin
- 2023
“Love for Living Architecture” — Natali Bodnar Gallery, Paris
- 2023
“Sea Speaks to the Soul” — Piraeus Municipal Theatre, Greece
- 2024
“Connections” — 24 Art Gallery, Edinburgh
- 2024–2025
“BLESSED” — Shevchenko Museum, Toronto
- 2025
ART Shopping Paris, “The Cuddle” — Carrousel du Louvre, Paris
Popular courses
All their courses →
StudentThe Perfect Dessert
Elena Illichova
StudentPlanet of Rose Buds
Elena Illichova
Advanced levelIntro videoCottage by the Mountain Lake
Elena Illichova
Master of Painting and DrawingThe Silver Lady
Elena Illichova
StudentIntro videoIn Raphael's Workshop
Elena Illichova
StudentNetherland
Elena Illichova
StudentScarlet Rowan Clusters
Elena Illichova
Basic levelAcademic course
Fragmentary Situations
Elena Illichova
Together
A family of painters and the AURUM studio
Olena and Volodymyr Illichov are a family of painters from Odesa. Together they founded AURUM Art Centre (2008), ran dozens of exhibitions, projects and painting marathons, and since 2020 have shown duo exhibitions in Europe and Canada. Their studio is now in Rees, near Düsseldorf.
Duo exhibitions
- 2020
“Untimely Love” — ARTODESSA Gallery, Odesa
- 2022
“Sea Frontiers” — AURUM Art Gallery, Odesa
- 2024
“The Journey to Your Heights” — Atmosphere Art Space, Guelph, Canada
- 2024–2025
“BLESSED” — Shevchenko Museum, Toronto, Canada
The school’s other masterVladimir Illichov→