April 1, 2017

by Ksenia Annis

Ksenia Annis was born in the capital of Soviet Russia, Moscow. The experience of the incredibly rich Russian culture crushed under the weight of an oppressive political system formed her esthetic and artistic principles. With limited options available to creative people under the communist rule, Ksenia chose architecture as the outlet for her artistic talents. In Moscow Architectural Institute she received an education that included not only technical subjects but also extensive courses on drawing, painting, sculpture and history of art. After graduation, while working in various design firms, Ksenia devoted her free time to travelling to various European countries and the US to see masterpieces of architecture and fine art.

Architecture was both her creative outlet and financial lifeline after moving to the US early this century. However, the creative constraints of the profession and the soul-crushing nature of office life convinced Ksenia to pursue her true calling full time in 2008. As principal artist and owner of Tummy Rubb Studio she now devotes all of her time to traditional and digital visual art, working in acrylic, gouache and watercolor, as well as sculpture. Her focus is a whimsical interpretation of the world, which really shines in her paintings and illustrations for books, the first of which was published in 2015 on Amazon. Ksenia participates in regional and national judged shows and competitions, receiving awards recently with the Woodlands Art League and Watercolor Society of Houston. She was recently chosen as one of three finalists for a community inspired mural to be placed in a new Kroger grocery store in a contest organized by Houston Arts Alliance. Ksenia’s love of bears, who are prominently featured in Russian folk and fairy tales, inspired her sketch that appears on the Netflix envelope below. Hers was one of five winning designs that appeared on their DVD mailers throughout fall of 2016.To see more of Ksenia’ work, please visit her online store at www.tummyrubb.com.
She regularly posts on Facebook/tummyrubb and Instagram/tummyrubbstudio www.tummyrubb.com