Our Artist on Display for May is Yelena Khanevskaya, bringing a rich artistic background and a deeply expressive style to the Prairie Arts Center gallery. Specializing in oil painting, her work explores figurative abstraction, landscapes, and florals - blending technical precision with emotional depth and movement.

Born and raised in Russia, Yelena was formally trained at Oryol State Pedagogical University, where she earned her Master of Art Education. Her five years of intensive study included drawing, painting, sculpture, human anatomy, art history, and folk art traditions - foundations that continue to influence her work today.

Currently serving as an art instructor at Western Nebraska Community College, Yelena is passionate about both creating and teaching art. Her pieces invite viewers to experience familiar subjects through a more abstract, interpretive lens, capturing mood, color, and form in a way that feels both timeless and contemporary.