"In a world of diversity and change, art becomes a universal language and transformative power for healing"
"In a world of diversity and change, art becomes a universal language and transformative power for healing"
My name is Alina Obukhova and I am an Artist and Art Therapist,
I was born in 1988 in Russia. And I currently live and work in San Francisco, USA.
My artistic journey began during my extensive travels around the world, where I drew inspiration from nature and the diverse cultures of different countries. A profound transformation and shift in my life path occurred while living in the country of Georgia, filling my work with a deep connection to nature and its energy. My experience as an art therapist opened new meanings and became a starting point for an in-depth exploration of the psycho-emotional processes that every person undergoes on their path to personal growth. From that moment on, my artistic practice became not only a personal journey of self-discovery but also a tool for working with the inner world of others through creativity.
Years of self-exploration have had a powerful influence on my artistic path, and today my works are visual art meditations that help viewers become aware of their emotions, develop sensitivity, and perceive themselves and the world more deeply.
As an artist, I continue to explore the impact of art on emotions and consciousness, deepens my knowledge of painting and art history, participates in exhibitions, presents my work in California galleries, and is preparing a solo exhibition. I also conducts art therapy sessions, combining art and psychology for profound self-exploration and connection with one's inner world.
My art is an invitation to an inner dialogue with oneself. It is a long and challenging, yet incredibly captivating journey of self-exploration and reclaiming all the lost and hidden parts of oneself -
a process of restoring wholeness.
Following Hegel’s idea that the clash of opposites is the foundation of spiritual development, I believe that inner conflicts and contradictions serve as a catalyst for personal progress and growth. My works reflect the emotions, states, and feelings that accompany us on the path of self-discovery and the search for deeper meaning. Through the dynamic elements of nature, I convey the living potential of the human spirit, the diversity and contradictions of the world that together create a mesmerizing, unified landscape. We understand ourselves through our interaction with the world, just as we explore the world by diving
into ourselves.
I want the ambiguity of abstract compositions, the fluidity of lines and transitions, the contrasts of colors, forms, and textures to allow the viewer to engage in dialogue, to add their own perceptions and imagery to my work, and thus co-create with me.
In this way, I reveal the beauty of self-discovery—frightening yet liberating—through the acceptance of all aspects of oneself, including those we often hide and avoid. Accepting one’s nature is the key to freedom, a turning point that ignites profound personal and spiritual growth. And the beginning of a great journey within.
The Volcanic Series captures the raw energy of creation and destruction. Using volcanic lava sand as my primary medium, I reflect the power of inner eruptions—moments of rupture that lead to rebirth. Like lava, we break, reshape, and transform. These works embody resilience, intensity, and the unstoppable force of change, inviting you to embrace the fire within.
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Wood, 2025
You’ve endured the storm, survived the destruction, faced the emptiness. But now—there is silence. Fresh air. A new beginning. After revival comes realization: you are no longer who you once were. You have become deeper, stronger, wiser.
What has changed within you?
What have you left behind, and what will you carry forward?
What does this new chapter mean to you?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Wood, 2025
Darkness is a portal to the unknown. It can envelop, terrify, allure, yet also unveil hidden depths. Within it, mysteries are born, instincts awaken.
Will you dare to peer inside and face this force?
What lies beyond your fears?
What if you look into it?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Wood, 2025
We set goals, chase dreams, and strive toward a vision of the future—but how often do we ask ourselves if these desires are truly our own? The path ahead is shaped by intention, yet beneath the surface lie deeper truths waiting to be uncovered.
Are your dreams a reflection of your true self?
What happens if you reach what you’ve been striving for?
Will you recognize yourself on the other side?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Canvas, 2025
Pause. Take a deep breath. You release exhaustion and absorb strength. Life is not just about moving forward—it’s also about replenishing, and restoring. Like a river filling its bed after a long drought, you allow yourself to soak in energy, to let light and resources flow back into you.
What nourishes you?
Where is your source of strength?
What do you need to feel whole again?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Canvas , 2025
On the edge. You stand between what was and what could be. There is no certainty here—only the wind calling you forward and the abyss beckoning with its mystery. To step beyond is both fear and freedom at once.
What will you choose: to stay in safety or to leap into the unknown?
What do you feel standing on this threshold?
What calls you to the edge?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Canvas , 2025
The moment of transformation comes when the walls we build begin to fall. Boundaries are illusions—temporary lines drawn by fear, habit, or the unknown. Yet, when they collapse, they reveal new possibilities. Limits exist only as long as we believe in them.
What barriers are you ready to dissolve?
What awaits you on the other side?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Canvas, 2025
You’re almost there. You’ve walked this path, step by step, pushing through fear, doubt, and exhaustion. But why does the weight feel heaviest now? This is the final push before the breakthrough. Breathe deeper. Pause for a moment. You are closer than you think.
What do you feel at this threshold?
What’s holding you back from the final step?
Are you ready to embrace change?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Canvas , 2025
Awakening. The light that comes after a long darkness feels brighter than ever. You open your eyes and see the world anew—pure, full of possibilities. This is the moment when you realize that everything you’ve been through was necessary to bring you here.
What do you see when you open your eyes?
What are you ready to do with this new light?
Mixed Media – Acrylic on Canvas , 2025
Destruction. Chaos. A breaking point. Sometimes, what feels like an end becomes a beginning. You feel the walls crumbling, the familiar patterns shattering, and the world around you losing its stability. But within this disruption lies power—the power to create something new, something real.
What are you ready to let go of?
What is being born from the ruins?
Where do you find your footing when everything is shifting?
My primary medium is volcanic lava sand—a material that carries the raw, untamed energy of the earth itself. I don’t just use it for texture; for me, it is a symbol of transformation, resilience, and the intense process of creation.
Lava is the earth’s way of breaking through, reshaping itself, and forging new landscapes—just as we, in our own lives, go through eruptions of change that redefine who we are. It embodies both destruction and renewal, chaos and rebirth. It reminds me that true transformation is not gentle—it is molten, intense, and undeniable. There is no growth without fire, no new beginnings without breaking through old forms.
The texture of volcanic lava sand in my paintings speaks to this process. It is rough yet alive, unpredictable yet deeply rooted in nature’s cycles. It allows me to capture the feeling of something ancient and elemental, something that pulses with the same life force that moves within us.
By incorporating lava sand into my work, I invite the viewer to feel the weight of change, to touch the surface of transformation, and to remember: within destruction lies the seed of creation, and within you lies the power to reshape your own path.
This series is my way of sharing the lessons I’ve learned: that transformation is messy, that growth often comes from discomfort, and that within each of us lies a dormant force waiting to erupt. It is an invitation to embrace the chaos within, to find courage in vulnerability, and to trust in the process of becoming.
But it is also a reminder that we are not alone in this journey. Just as we are shaped by the forces within and around us, our cracks and fissures are not signs of weakness but proof of our resilience. They are the places where light enters, where new growth begins.
Through this series, I hope to inspire you to pause, to reflect, and to connect with your own inner landscape.
To ask yourself: What needs to erupt within me? What am I holding onto that no longer serves me?
And what new possibilities await on the other side of the storm?
Thank you for walking this path with me. May these works remind you that even in the midst of chaos, there is beauty. Even in destruction, there is creation.
And even in the darkest moments, there is always the promise of light.
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