Viktor Shvaiko (Russian, born 1965) arrived in New York with little money and less English, he was again able to survive by selling his paintings. At this time he developed his penchant for painting the little European cafes, street scenes and other intimate places that we see in his work today and that have become his trademark. The romantic impressionism of his work and the use of light creates a feeling that you can walk right into his paintings, walk the streets of Italy, sit outside at a table at a French bistro.

Born in Altai, Russia, Viktor Shvaiko grew up surrounded by the beauty of the wilderness. His natural inclination for fine arts and his strong urge to share his vision of nature drove him to find a way into the Novoaltaisk Artistic School, one of the two best schools for the arts in the former Soviet Union.Viktor Shvaiko credits his teacher, Ilbek Khairoullinov, for a true fine arts education and becoming a nationally known artist. A strict regimen of drawing, an intricate technique of using colors, and the influence of the 19th century Russian artist Karl Brynllow brought Viktor Shvaiko close to a traditional academic style of painting.

Shvaiko chafed under the stifling effect that the lingering Russian bureaucracy had on the careers of young artists. Unable to get a visa to a Western country, Viktor was permitted to travel to Yugoslavia. In the confusion of the civil war, he fled to Italy with his paintings strapped to his back, often encountering gunfire from roving bands of militia. Having arrived in Italy, virtually penniless, Viktor Shvaiko survived by selling his paintings on the streets of Rome. He eventually returned to a now more liberalized Russia, and was able to obtain passage to America.
Viktor now lives in New York with his wife and children for most of the year but still travels back to Russia as often as possible to visit.