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Creating art is how I learn about myself and stay connected to the world. My bronze sculptures—large statement pieces, animals, mythic figures, and ceremonial forms—are vessels of memory and meaning. They honor untamed beauty, cultural heritage, and the symbolic strength found in armor, ritual, and transformation.

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Legacy in Bronze: Recognition & Exhibitions

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My work has been exhibited at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, reviewed in Art Week Magazine, and personally commended by Kenneth Baker of the San Francisco Chronicle. Collectors have encountered my sculptures at the Fairmont Hotel, Pac Rim Annual Sculpture Exhibition, Bryant Street Gallery in Palo Alto, Grace Hudson Museum, Galerie Blanche in Montreal, and locally at Erin Martin Design in St. Helena and Dovetail Collection in Healdsburg.

If you’re a collector, I warmly invite you to experience these works in person at Erin Martin Showroom or Dovetail Collection, where my sculptures live in spaces designed for presence, beauty, and depth.

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“Let Him Go”: Seabiscuit and the Underdog Myth

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One of my most meaningful projects is the limited-edition bronze Let Him Go, honoring the legendary racehorse Seabiscuit. Two sold within the first three days of release. Twenty-five percent of proceeds supported the Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation and Seabiscuit Therapeutic Riding Center, helping preserve cultural legacy and empower healing through equine therapy.

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Seabiscuit’s story resonates deeply—it’s about grit, grace, and the will to overcome. It reminds us that greatness often comes from unlikely places.

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Formed by Fire, Family, and Faraway Places 

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My creative roots run deep. Raised by parents from Russia and Germany who emigrated through Korea and Thailand, their journey—rich with adaptation and cultural complexity—shaped much of my worldview.

As a child, I expressed gratitude through handmade cards and imagined architectural wonders on scraps of paper. By age 9, we had climbed castles and wandered temples across Europe and Asia. Towering temple guardians in Bangkok—part human, part beast—ignited my fascination with

mythic form.

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At 13, I sculpted a terracotta bust of a Flavian Roman lady (left); at 17, welded a bird in metal shop (left). These moments shaped my path.

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While earning my BA at UCSB, I studied abroad at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, delving into anatomy, drawing, painting, and sculpture. Italy’s bronze casting traditions continue to inspire me.

Later, I completed my MFA in Spatial Art at San Jose State University, developing technical skills and foundry experience to cast large bronze sculptures, experiment with scale, mechanics, and mythic narrative.

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Now: Myth, Animal, and the Power of Presence

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Today, I focus on large statement bronze sculptures and wildlife forms—each informed by cultural story, ancestral echoes, and the wild spirit of animals. Whether casting armor, commemorating Seabiscuit, or sculpting a deer from Ridgewood Ranch, I aim to create work that resonates across time and identity.

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I welcome meaningful collaboration with architects, interior designers, and collectors drawn to the interplay of scale, symbolism, and soul. If you want to incorporate sculpture into private or public spaces that honor narrative and presence, I’d love to explore that conversation with you.

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And Still I Sculpt

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An ongoing journey of wild forms, cultural memory, and mythic presence.

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Thank you for sharing this

journey with me.

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— Barbara

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