Maksym and his family relocated to Canada in August, 2022  following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

From a young age, Maksym’s love of art was reflected in his drawings and paintings. He attended a specialized Art School for teenagers before going on to the Kharkiv School of Arts (Kharkiv, Ukraine). Following graduation in 1989, Maksym continued his artistic education at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts (Kharkiv, Ukraine) specializing in Industrial Design as well as Painting (oil, acrylic and watercolor).

Maksym’s work experience includes many years as a Digital Artist with the advertising agency: Radioaktivefilm in Kyiv (Ukraine). Maksym  spent three years in Bytom (Poland) on the restoration project of a Catholic cathedral which included: painted walls, roofs and portraits of religious figures. Back in Kyiv (Ukraine), Maksym opened his own studio of Fine Arts where he provided individual and group lessons in painting (oil, acrylic, watercolor), pastels, sketching and sculpting for several years. He has extensive experience as a portrait artist.

Throughout his education and career, Maksym designed and created wooden and metal sculptures which were exhibited and sold at various venues both in Ukraine (Trip Tych Art Gallery (Kyiv)) and Canada (Art Emporium in Port Stanley, St.Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre, Sparta Lavender Farm, Port Stanley Festival Theatre).

Canadian Experience

Since November 2022, Maksym has taught Painting (various media) and Sketching at the Art Emporium in Port Stanley on a weekly basis, at the St.Thomas Elgin Arts Centre and in his private studio. He also runs Painting Workshops at private Eat, Drink and Paint events.

Maksym is a member of the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre  where he also teaches “Mastering the Brush” on a regular basis. Two of his paintings were selected for the “In view of the Artist” annual juried exhibition in May and June 2024. He participated in the  “Between the Boards” juried exhibition from April to June 2025. He was a guest speaker at the Lambeth Art Association General Meeting in March 2025. He is a member of the Association of Port Stanley Artists. Maksym is the Designer and Artist of the 2025 Piano Peace Project by the Elgin County Ukrainian Community in St.Thomas.

Interviewed by Peri Hayes for the December 2024 issue of Boomers and Beyond, Villager Publications, Maksym gives us a more personal description of his background, approach to Art, art classes and explains how his entire life has been connected with Art and a wide variety of creative projects.

On his free time Maksym continues to paint, design art projects and create metal signs and sculptures. His work is exhibited and on sale at the Art Emporium in Port Stanley, the St.Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre, the Port Stanley Festival Theatre, Art & Soul in Port Stanley and various other venues on a regular basis.  Several of his paintings, sculptures and garden ornaments are in private collections.