Katya was born in 1965 in the Ukraine. She started drawing classes at the world renowned Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg in 1991 and went on to begin the full art course in 1993. She won first prize for her portraits at the end of her first year of studies and graduated in June 1999. Later that year she came to England where she first worked as artist in residence at Highclere Castle, painting portraits of late Lord Carnarvon and his family. She now lives in England with her husband the artist Valeriy Gridnev and their son Fedor, also an artist.
Katya Gridneva works mainly in oils, pastels and charcoal, focusing on figurative subjects. Her very skillful, characterful and attractive compositions are painted from life. Her work not only captures the flow of light across her subjects, but also exhibits her in-depth knowledge of the anatomical structure of the human body. She takes a special delight in painting the working bodies of dancers, capturing their grace and elegance.
