Nikita Budkov

Oil on panel

40”x30”

 The free spirit of a rebellious nature is woven into the fabric in which America was made. The biker’s pose seems to show confidence in his way of living, but there is still a glimmer of confusion in his eyes. Very stubborn and hard to change, though the providence made its own plans on the fate of this man. It could be rough, but nothing can destroy his brave heart.

On the final day of our fire season, amidst the cleanup of hazardous brush and trees north of the San Fernando Valley, I paused to catch my breath. Before me unfolded a striking scene: a working assembly of fellow firefighters under the command of our supervisor, set against the sweeping drama of the valley laid out below. I felt a swell of pride for these courageous men and women, compelling me to capture this scene in paint.

Oil on aluminum

12" x 16"

Oil on aluminum panel

8” x 10”

Under the scorching sun of the Wild West, two rugged cowboys sit on a weathered porch, their eyes keen, guns ready.

Oil on aluminum panel

8” x 10”

Oil in aluminum panel

8" x 10"

Oil on aluminum panel

14" x 11"

Oil on aluminum panel

16” x 12”

Oil on panel

20” x 24”

Oil on aluminum panel

8” x 10”

Oil on panel

14” x 11”

Donated to LAFD Crew 3, as a token of my gratitude to the firefighters for their dedication and patience with me and my fellow volunteer crew members.

Oil on panel

5.9” x 7.8”

A morning light study on snow. One may observe many peculiar little things while analyzing this painting.

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 10”

Oil on panel

12” x 16”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 10”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 10”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 10”

Oil on panel

8” x 8”

Won Best Urban at Tehachapi Art Commission 2023

Oil on panel

11” x 14”

I like to paint the dramatic and epic views. This composition fits perfectly in between these words. The sun was ceasing down and it lit the below mountain stream transforming it into a shining force of nature. The mountain in the distance topped the arrangement of the landscape and alluded to a Lonely Mountain from The Hobbit, which gave the painting its final, magical landscape feeling.

Oil on panel

16” x 20”

Alabama Hills are the Martian-esque desert lands near Lone Pine by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, popular with the hip LA crowd and pit bike riders alike. We camped there for a night, and just before dawn I braved to do a painting of the disintegrating sun behind the mountains. Painting with the sunlight in my eyes is an interesting experience, work has to be done very quickly, and later it needs to be recollected from memory after the sun is gone. There was so much light that my peripheral vision came in handy for sure, concluding in a very atmospheric piece with some information about the landscape.

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 12”

Oil on board

24” x 22”

Oil on panel

10" x 8", artwork

“As the sun dips lower on the horizon, the angle of the light changes, causing it to stream through windows and create a natural spotlight effect. The result is a breathtaking display of warm light and shadow that transforms the look and feel of space. During the Golden Hour, this vase with Gypsophila in the corner of the room is elegantly illuminated and every time I pass by it, I take a moment to bask in the beauty and wonder of the natural world.”

—Nikita Budkov

Oil on linen canvas

12” x 10”

This one was painted around the American Legacy Fine Arts gallery. I am keen on painting sculptures and that was my first time trying to imitate alabaster.

Oil on panel

15” x 15”

That night there was a heavy snowstorm. An obscure silhouette of the cabin looked like a chapel, and tree trunks were its arms.

After midnight hours were burning with something primordial, cosmic and unknown. The snowfall was so much and everywhere on my palette and panel, I could not help it but mixed it with oil paint. I moved quickly to finish the first layer before it got too cold and then left, feeling strangely initiated in the riddles of the night.

A poetic portrait of a beautiful maiden.

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 9”

Oil on panel

30” x 30”

With this painting I hoped to experiment away from my usual red/purple palette and transcend the feeling of a nostalgic sunset. I feel like it reminds me of the Pre-Raphaelites because of colors and the amount of details. I was heavily influenced by my friend in the center and his love for motorcycles and Classic Rock to paint this every-day scene somewhere in North Hollywood. I love to how many ways the narration in this painting can expand. While the story of what's exactly is going on here may not be known, one thing is for sure: that's damn gorgeous looking bike.

Oil on board

23” x 30”

John Dee (1527 - 1609) was an English mathematician, cartographer, astrologer, occult philosopher, and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy, holding a collection of more than 4,000 books at his home - bigger than the libraries of Oxford and Cambridge. He sought to contact spirits through the use of a scryer, or crystal-gazer, which supposedly acted as an intermediary between Dee and the angels. The magic and alchemy he practiced were intimately woven together with investigations into religion, mathematics, and natural science.

Oil on panel

24” x 20”

A commission family portrait started from life in the Redwoods and finished in the studio.

Oil on canvas panel

16” x 12”

REBIRTH OF LIGHT

Oil on panel

12” x 16”

The maiden is woken by the warming sun. She is like nature herself, born again after a long and cold winter.

This painting won an Overall Winner award with February’s Plein Air Salon, and an Honorable Mention award with Annual Plein Air Salon Competition.

Oil on panel

24” x 18”

Oil on canvas panel

16” x 12”

During the first months of the pandemic in the US, I felt the need to paint myself in these uncertain times. I lay in nature, my eyes are following the passing sky, and my hand controls the weight of the sturdy kettlebell.

Oil on panel
26” x 36”

For this amazing commission work I was honored to paint a legendary story of Excalibur, King Arthur's second sword, which he received from the Lady of the Lake. You may see Arthur and Merlin on a boat, as the King wields his new weapon with an absolute control and determination, as Merlin teaches him about the magical protective and healing power of the scabbard. On the bottom left one can see the Lady of the Lake casting her miraculous spells. In the background - a great castle Camelot. The atmosphere and surroundings are dramatic, full of energy and magic.

Oil on panel

16” x 12”

Of a young woman, seemingly lost in a cold, mysterious forest a few hours before first snow on a December day.

Painted on a windy November day north of Saint Petersburg, Russia. I walked along the shore of Baltic Sea and saw a little wooden church on a pier.

Oil on panel

8.2” x 11.8”

Oil on canvas panel

5.9” x 7.8”

A small painting of family’s sleeping dog, Hector. I was working on something else in a studio when he decided to take a nap on a couch besides be. I could not resist to paint him at the moment!

Oil on board

18” x 24”

Oil on canvas panel

5.9" x 7.8"

Oil on canvas panel

16” x 20”

Oil on canvas panel

7” x 9.5”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 16”

Painted during the paint-out at the Bowers Museum in a celebration of California Art Club’s 111th Gold Medal Exhibition.

Oil on canvas

11” x 14”

Oil on canvas panel

7” x 5”

Oil on canvas panel

5” x 7”

Oil on canvas panel

6” x 6”

Oil on board

12” x 12”

Painted and exhibited during the First Annual Dana Point Plein Air Festival.

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 16”

Oil on board

12” x 12”

A live painting commission.

Oil on linen canvas

20” x 16”

A commission portrait for a lovely couple’s anniversary.

Oil on panel

5” x 7”

In 2012, I was living on a farm in Wisconsin and attended a high school in Minnesota. These stones circles were growing across the street from me, a member of the family I was staying with had a great vision in her head and was in charge of this modern sacred place. 10 years later, I have returned to paint a few of them in Winter. Very memorable experience!

Oil on canvas panel

16” x 20”

A fantasy painting based on location in a game World of Warcraft. The original, first in my Fantasy Series.

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 8”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 10”

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 16”

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 12”

Oil on panel

5.9” x 7.8”

A view from the 17th floor on an industrial city of Khimki, west to Moscow.

Oil on canvas

11” x 14”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 8”

A peaceful, plein air image of the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe.

Oil on board

12” x 12”

Artist Statement
"Painted in greater Moskow's Arkhangel'skoye Park, this magnificent arch fills the painted panel, developing a contradiction between what you see and the chosen title. Notice the scale shift from the architecture to the figures, the classical tsarian gateway leads the wanderers to a path through the woods to an inevitable purpose. A grand gateway, affirming the significance of their journey in the face of the overwhelming majesty of the world around them. The winter weather cleanses the palette to a purified simplicity creating a scene that is both familiar and operatic." — Nikita Budkov

Oil on board

9”x12”

Close to the heart of Siberia – a wild freezing cold tundra where the heat is of high value. The girl depicted on this painting is surrounded by the pale whiteness of the winter season. She tries to keep herself in warmth yet dreams of the fantastical mysteries of this little-known land.

Oil on panel

14” x 11”

On February 18th, 2021, NASA’s new rover “Perseverance” lands on Mars.
An atmospheric fantasy painting of the red planet.

Oil on panel

9” x 12”

Oil on canvas

8” x 10”

Oil on canvas panel

8” x 8”

A fantasy landscape oil painting inspired by the World of Warcraft’s Night Elves’ twilight lands.

Oil on canvas panel

5” x 7”

An epic cloudy plein air image of Lake Tahoe’s western shore.

Oil on panel

16”x12”

As a mysterious crescent behind her, the woman hides half of her face in the shadow of a cloak. Playing with her hair, offering a pear, she seems to be the guardian of some dreamy realm.

Oi on panel

16” x 12”

This beautiful young lady wears a crown of red and green leaves; her blonde balayage hair reflects the twilight sun. She is dressed in clothes and jewelry influenced by Norse mythology. She is feminine, strong in nature.

TOWARDS THE LIGHT

Towards the Light

Oil on canvas

18" x 14"

Artist Statement

I love developing unique ways in which to paint and discover. Sometimes, the simplest gesture of lifting one's head exposes you to fascinating and singular visions. The painting of this great majestic tree started as a modest plein air, just outside the entryway to ALFA. Initially, I blocked in shapes and natural designs. The gestures eventually turned into an expressive portrait of the tall pine. As clouds pass in the sky, and people live their everyday lives, the tree leans towards the light. It grows more beautiful each day, taller and wiser. We often forget to raise our heads up. I would encourage you to do so. Otherwise, you risk the spectacle of beautiful vast skies, the eternal shine of millions of stars or perhaps even this majestic tree, bathing in the sun.

Old Mornings’ Dawn; Paramount Ranch

Oil on canvas
24" x 20"

Artist Statement
"For three consecutive Saturday mornings I headed towards Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains to paint from the exact same spot. A location which had caught me off guard with its striking and immediate beauty. I had a small window in which to paint to capture the glory of the scene, hoping that conditions remained the same as I commenced painting at 7 am, on-the-dot.
The mountain was outlined with light as the Eucalyptus trees cast their long, deep shadows. Looking through the natural arch of logs and branches, my romantic inclination would find portals to the unreal fantasy world of Old. Enchanting moments like this are the reason why I love to paint en plein air. Sadly, this ephemeral beauty no longer exists. The painting was started days before the Woolsey Fire, a fire which burned nearly one hundred thousand acres of land, including parts of Paramount Ranch and its unique Western Town movie set."
—Nikita Budkov

Oil on panel

24” x 18”

“Confusion in her eyes that says it all

She's lost control

And she's clinging to the nearest passer by

She's lost control

And she gave away the secrets of her past

And said, "I've lost control again"

And a voice that told her when and where to act

She said, "I've lost control again"

And she turned around and me and took me by the hand

And said, "I've lost control again"

How I'll never know just why or understand

She said, "I've lost control again"

And she screamed out kicking on her side

And said, "I've lost control again"

And seized up on the floor I thought she'd die

She said, "I've lost control "

She's lost control again

She's lost control

She's lost control again

She's lost control

And I had to phone her friend to state my case

And say, "She's lost control again"

And she showed up all the errors and mistakes

And said, "I've lost control again"

And she expressed herself in many different ways

Until she lost control again

And walked upon the edge of no escape

And laughed, "I've lost control"

She's lost control again

She's lost control

She's lost control again

She's lost controlI could live a little better with the myths and the lies

When the darkness broke in, I just broke down and cried

I could live a little in a wider line

When the change is gone, when the urge is gone

To lose control”

(Ian Curtis, Joy Division)

Oil on panel

9.125” x 12”

In March 2020 I was on a quest to show the beginning of the Corona pandemic in the society and spent an hour at Burbank Costco's parking lot in a rain painting lines and lines of people waiting to get into the store. In many ways what I saw was sad and absurd yet people absolutely wanted to buy their toilet paper in bulk and did not see a problem in waiting for hours on a Saturday morning. I worked more on the scene since.

Oil on gesso board

8”x10”

The sunset in its climax, and the clouds magnificently moving through the atmosphere, touching Topanga mountains, reflecting our sun.

Oil on panel

8”x10”

An impression of the rolling hills and mountains of Topanga, they are soon to return to their sleep after this day is over.

Oil on panel

12” x 16”

The seemingly fantasy landscape of Santa Monica Mountains I did from life... sometime before the rain gathered. The peculiar object awaited the falling waters to once again collect the sustaining substance like days of old.

Oil on panel

6”x6”

Inspired by Kafka and Dostoevsky’s motifs, a pale girl seems to be completely unapproachable, even though we are so close to her. She might not be looking, but she listens: the door is slowly opening in the background, letting the mysteries of the unknown beginnings fill her room.

Oil on panel

20” x 16”

Oil on canvas on panel
9.5" x 7"

Artist Statement
"In ancient days, the region of Karelia, particularly Lake Ladoga, was a vital part of the trade route from the Varangians to Constantinople. These trade routes are saturated with a deep and long-lasting history of heroes and conquerors, epic tales that traverse through time and the vast and splendorous forests of the territory.
It is easy to wander and lose oneself within the timeless woods of Karelia, especially if the visitor is unaccustomed to the remote and primal territory. However, Karelians have formed their own unique relationship with this exquisite environment adapting to her bewitching temperament through heritage and tradition.
I visited Lake Ladoga in July of this year and painted with great joy. Not many lands make me feel as if I am home, Karelia does."
—Nikita Budkov

Oil on canvas

24” x 18”

A commission based on a portrait painting from the game Witcher 3 (Hearts of Stone)

Oil on panel

14” x 18”

Oil on canvas panel

20” x 10”

A plein air not far from the Malibu coast line. The 115 F temperature that day melted the mountain landscape into a Mars - like image.

For inquires please proceed to Contact page.

Oil on panel

8” x 10”

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 9”

A silver moon softly lights the dark tranquility of the night. From the ground the air is still, but the wind above shifts clouds around the sky

Oil on panel

24” x 18”

Oil on Canvas

6” x 8”

For inquires please proceed to Contact page

Oil on panel

6” x 12”

Oil on panel

12” x 12”

My grandmother’s home is uphill behind me, and I always remembered the famous Moscow River curving its way in those lands.

Oil on aluminum panel

7” x 5”

After a tiring hike in the Topanga Mountains, I finally found a decent spot to paint the subject I was looking for—a magical, intimate welcoming scene like in a fairytale

Oil on board

11” x 14”

Here, I intentionally did a very monochrome, tonalist painting in blue. The color blue symbolizes freshness and purity, and with purple subtones the feeling becomes ethereal. I love mystical, foggy, poetic landscapes, and believe that other creative people do too.

Oil on canvas panel

12” x 9”

The sense of autumn season can be a metaphor for shedding the past and preparing for renewal. The ascending branches symbolize the many ideas of an artist contemplating his next masterpiece.

Oil on panel

7” x 5”

Oil on canvas panel

5.75” x 7.75”

Oil on gesso board

10”x8”

A couple of tourists found themselves under the shade of a glorious tree, reflecting the rays of our star, one hour before the sunset.

Oil on panel

6” x 12”

Oil on canvas panel

10” x 20”

Oil on panel

7” x 5”

The ephemeral light of invisible source vaguely breaking out the lively trees gives the beholder a hint of a dreamy sequence, as the ladder symbolizes the hard work or a meditation in a dream. The worker is a creator, a wall painter, who changes the surface of tomorrow today.

Oil on panel

12” x 12”

Oil on canvas

Oil on canvas panel

5" x 7"

Ever since I moved to Los Angeles County, I have lived in the riverside communities like Reseda and Glendale. It's always been amazing to me that this urban river is flowing through a concrete channel on a a fixed course.