Svetlana Kaminsky was born November 25th, 1954 on the coast of Baltic sea in Jurmala, Latvia.
She became interested in art at the age of 11, when she started to paint her first watercolors
and copy the drawings of the old masters, (Russian painter Alexander Ivanov and Leonardo da Vinci).

She graduated from high school at 1972 and took course of medicine till 1975, still continuing to draw
and paint.

When she realized that drawing and painting were consuming all her free time and she didn’t want
to live in the communist country, she left Medical Institute in hope to emigrate to Europe or America.
Since then she dedicated her entire life to art.

She didn’t graduate any art college or Academy, she studied old masters in Hermitage by copying their works
for couple of years.
She had some guidance and advices from some underground, non-conformist artists.
The first of whom was Alexander Arefiev, who after seeing her works inspired her to leave Med. Institute.

Her art from the beginning was expressive and could never be accepted by soviet art committees.
She presented her drawings for review only once, the work was rejected because of it’s “inappropriate theme”.

By the end of 70-s local collectors began to buy her artwork and so did
some art collectors from from America, Germany and Switzerland.

At first influenced by Chinese philosopher Laozi, she illustrated
his main work, Tao Te Ching.
Then F. Dostoyevsky and Kurt Vonnegut influenced her changed style and themes.

This period was of dark fantasy of the desperate soul forced to live
under totalitarian powers.

Slowly in her graphics she found the deep and hidden way to survive in
ungodly country — the series «Old man and woman» reflect that. In their own hidden world the characters are surrounded
by phantasmagorical still-lives.

Her style finally found its completion based on two of her favorite artists — Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Paul Cézanne.

The mystical series «Old Man and Children» are the most important among her
works of this period.
Almost no material objects are left around the old man surrounded by children — as if there is nothing left
in their world of pure teaching and learning of the great mystery of life.

KS, Italy, 1980

At the age of 25 she finally emigrated from Soviet Union to obtain so much desired freedom
from communist suppression and totalitarian regime, which she never could learn to tolerate or accept.

Her last work was named «Life of Christ». It consisted of large, never before attempted black and white graphic works
made by complex technique, (Indian ink, water, brush and pen).

After 1984 she retired from public life, leaving the contemporary world in order to dedicate herself to spiritual life as the nun.

She left all her artwork to her brother, Eric Ershun, first and most faithful among her numerous supporters,
to whom she dedicated her last graphic work «My brother».