Michael and Inessa Garmash, Romantic Impressionists

The Garmashes have created beautiful paintings, stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings exhibited all over Europe.

Mikhail (Michael) Garmash, born in 1969 in Lugansk, Ukraine, began painting at the age of three and by six started his formal education at the Lugansk Youth Creative Center.

In 1987, he was valedictorian of his Lugansk State Fine Art College class, and became an art teacher there. He later was graduated from St. Petersburg Academy of Art at the head of his class.

Garmash exhibited his works throughout Russia and France, adding stained-glass to his list of talents.

Inessa Kitaichik was born in 1972 in Lipetsk, Russia. She excelled in ballet, gymnastics and music from early childhood, and attended classes in all three disciplines. After graduating from music and ballet school, Inessa entered the Lugansk Fine Art School at age 15. At 17, she was honored as that year's best undergraduate.

Michael & Inessa met at a bus stop on the Lugansk campus in 1990. Inessa woke the next day to her image painted all around the city --surrounding her house on the road, on the walls of buildings and the walls of her apartment staircase. Michael had spent the night painting. Although he was arrested, he was not punished; apparently even the police sympathize with true love!

In similar spontaneous fashion, the two began painting together. Several years after their marriage, Michael began a painting of their daughter for a project at school. However, their two-year old found the painting and added her own touches to the piece. Inessa, not wanting Michael to be upset, fixed the painting, packed it up and gave it to him to submit. Michael handed the painting over for review and was told it was his best work ever. He was surprised to see the new painting and immediately recognized his wife’s hand.

Since then, Michael and Inessa Garmash have been a team creating beautiful paintings exhibited all over Europe, and now in Salem, Oregon.