Now in their 15th year at Ella W. Richardson Fine Art, Lyuba and Aleksander Titovets create impressionistic paintings that are steeped in influences from their Russian homeland.

Aleksander earned a master's in fine art in St. Petersburg and developed a style that reflects the Russian School of oil paint­ing, incorporating realism with the soft looseness of impres­sionism. Lyuba's artistic training began in St. Petersburg, where she grew up and studied art from the age of five.

Both became award-winning master painters in their own right before they immigrated to the United States nearly 25 years ago. Before long, the two had made their mark in a new, unfa­miliar land. Among their many honors, Aleksander was chosen by the Smithsonian to paint first lady Laura Bush's portrait for the National Portrait Gallery, while Lyuba's works have been included in a world exhibition at Westminster Abbey in London.

Today, the couple resides in Texas, but Russian imagery still informs their extraordinary work. To view their most recent works, stop by Richardson's spacious gallery at 58 Broad St.