
Observe and enjoy.
Watercolor is Magical!

Creative biography KONSTANTIN STERKHOV


He was born in Izhevsk, Ryssia. Now he relocated to Turkey. Graduated from Udmurt State University and Repin Academy of Fine Arts, St.Petersburg. He mainly uses Watercolour for his work and a great enthusiast of this medium. He is an author of 7 bestseller books about watercolour “Masters of Watercolor” and a co-founder of a digital magazine “Planet of Watercolor”. He has been invited as a jury board member for a several International exhibitions and has been a co-organizer of a few of watercolor exhibitions in Russia. He has being teaching watercolor on- and offline for the last 25 years, has produced a numerous tutorial lessons on DVD and later for online schools.
Prizes and awards
2004, St.Petersburg, Russia – Best in watercolor Seascape by the Independent Jury of Hermitage Museum;
2009, Helsinki, Finland – 2nd Public Prize in the Minun Helsinki exhibition;
2019, 2021, St.Petersburg, Russia – Best in watercolor in genres of Cityscape, Art Bridge Biennial;
2018-2020, The Art of Watercolour magazine, France – the best selected paintings in the readers contest
Solo exhibitions
2000 – 2022:
Helsinki, Finland (2),
Turku, Finland (2),
Hong Kong (1),
St.Petersburg, Russia (4).
Group exhibitions
2022, Fabriano Biennial, Italy
2021, St Petersburg, Russia, Art Bridge Biennial
2019, Hong Kong
2019, Yunnang, China
2019, Youyu, China
2018, National Watercolor Society, USA 2018, International Watercolor Masters, England
2017, Shanghai, China
2017, Nanning, China
2014, 2012, San-Diego Watercolor Society, USA
2016, 2018, 2020, Fabriano Biennial, Italy
Publications
2012-2020, Series of bestseller books “Masters of Watercolor”, 6 books, the author
2021, How to pain cats in watercolor, book, the author
2016, Konstantin Sterkhov, watercolor, the hard cover book
2013-2020 – several publications in The Art of Watercolour magazine, France
2016 – Pratique des Arts magazine, France
2018 – Artists and Illustrators magazine, UK
Work process

Artworks
Series Shri Mataji's Portraits
My first Shri Mataji's portrait was painted in 1992 after my dream. I gave it as a gift to Shri Mataji after the Guru puja in Cabella. Shri Mataji's comment was "Now you are your own guru!". I took it as a permission to continue painting Her Image. It was always a spontaneous process. There were a few portraits of Shri Mataji that I painted since 1992. It was always a kind of a Call. Some times I failed, sometimes the portraits came out well - I feel that I only partly participated in this process.
see +
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Mother, 2018,
30x30 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Prayer, 2019,
24x30 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Adi Shakti, 2020,
24x30 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Bindi, 2020,
50x35 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Inner Peace, 2020,
24x30 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Joy, 2010,
40x30 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Shri Mataji, 2017,
50x40 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Sandra Karuna, 2017,
56x38 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

White Sari, 2009,
38x56 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Darshan, 2010,
50x35 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable
Series Cabella
Cabella is a typical Italian village in Liguria. I have been there many times and I love every corner of that place. Some villages are kind of sleeping but Cabella is very much alive because of the well maintain historical and cultural building of Palazzo that was a home of our Guru Shri Mataji and the growing community of Sahaja yogis shifting there. There are lots of inspiring subjects as green mountains and valleys, a river with stone bridges, beautiful old houses with pattina of time... I often take photos when I visit the place. Those photos I use as references for demo paintings when I have watercolor workshops.
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Palazzo, 2015,
15x30cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Cabella, 2022,
28x38 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Footsoaking at twilight, 2018,
28x38 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Sunny stairs, 2021,
30x24 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Approaching the bridge, 2015,
30x24 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Mountan road, 2022,
28x38 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Borbera’s mirror, 2015,
30x40 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Looking up, 2022,
30x40 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

The bell sound, 2015,
30x15 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Square, 2014,
15x20 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

Near hangar, 2020,
24x30 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable

From the Castel, 2016,
30x17 cm,
watercolor,
unavailable
Series Flower for Mother
I like painting flowers although it is not the main subject of my painting. I like when the sun light touches the delicate petals that throw transparent cast shadows. I enjoy the rich range of greens from Golden tints to dark Blues. I am fascinated by finding the diversity of those flowers' shapes and deeply grateful for the ability to depict and embody that beauty in many paintings.
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Creation, collage, 2020

Towards the light, 2013,
38x28 cm,
watercolor

White wild roses#1, 2017,
40x50 cm,
watercolor

A bouquet from a field, 2018,
38x56 cm,
watercolor

Magnolia, 2017,
28x38 cm,
watercolor

June in the country, 2019,
28x38 cm,
watercolor

An English rose, 2020,
28x38 cm,
watercolor

Spring blossom, 2020,
25x38 cm,
watercolor

A rose near Palazzo, 2022,
38x28 cm,
watercolor

White wild roses#2, 2020,
25x35 cm,
watercolor

Dandelions, 2020,
25x35 cm,
watercolor

Italian roses, 2017,
36x53 cm,
watercolor
Series Watercolor is Magical!
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Peace, 2018,
75x55 cm,
watercolor

Roman Holidays, 2018,
55x75,
watercolor

Regatta, 2017,
35x55 cm,
watercolor

Sound And Vision, 2017,
35x55 cm,
watercolor

SMS, 2016,
56x76,
watercolor0

Shades Of Blue, 2015,
55x62 cm,
watercolor

Stairs OldMan, 2016,
75x55 cm,
watercolor

Harbor Reflection, 2017,
35x55 cm,
watercolor

GoldenFish, 2017,
35x55 cm,
watercolor_0000000

Garlic, 2018,
35x55,
watercolor