Irina Lakshin

Irina Lakshin (Deshchenko) was born and raised in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Kamchatka Peninsula, USSR. She received her master's degree in economics from the  Academy of Foreign Trade and started her career in the banking sector before moving to the United States. 

Upon settling in the U.S. in 2009, Irina began taking pottery classes and fell in love with clay. For several years, she studied with different ceramic masters, learning different techniques and perfecting her skills in both hand building and wheel-throwing. 

For the first 2-3 years evening pottery classes were just a hobby, but in 2012 Irina decided that she wants to be a professional artist. And since 2013, Irina started to exhibit her art in various galleries, and today, many of her pieces are in private collections.

In 2018 she got a Certificate of Fine art from New York Academy of Art and Master of Fine Art Degree in 2021.

Irina works with different types of clay, such as stoneware, porcelain, and terra-cotta. She also uses different types of  firings and surface patinas. The style of Irina’s works can be defined as contemporary, but with a reference to the classics, which manifests itself in the form of vessels, figurative sculptures and bust portraits.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.