VALENTINE, Neb. — A Russian-born artist is inspiring painters in the Sandhills. Professional artist and instructor Yelena Khanevskaya, who grew up in Russia and now lives in Scottsbluff, led a hands-on still life workshop last weekend hosted by the Sand Painters Art Club in Valentine.

“With every brushstroke, we’re learning not just to paint what we see, but how to see it,” said participant Joan Swim.

The class focused on the art of still life — how to arrange, interpret and capture objects in meaningful ways.

“Artists learned about different types of still lifes, and how historically they’ve been used to express emotion, meaning and form,” Khanevskaya said.

She said that when she was growing up in Russia, women weren’t often encouraged to pursue art professionally.

“There was a little bit of that attitude where men could be professional artists, but women had to consider what they would be able to do while still raising a family,” she said.

So Yelena chose to study art education — a practical path that kept her close to her passion. But it wasn’t until she moved to Scottsbluff, Nebraska in 1995 that her artistic journey really blossomed.

“People in the area where I settled were very supportive and helped me call myself an artist, not just an art teacher or educator,” she said. “They told me, ‘Of course you’re an artist. When you do art, you’re an artist.’”

Now, Khanevskaya owns her own studio and travels across the state teaching workshops. She said art has helped her through every challenge in life.

“I can’t live without it,” she said. “It’s one of those things that’s an absolute necessity in my life. It helps me understand and process the chaos of the world.”

For participants like Swim, the workshop was more than a lesson in technique — it was a chance to reconnect with creativity and emotion.

“Interpreting things you see or feel and putting it down on a surface,” Swim said.

Whether it’s a still life on canvas or a new life in Nebraska, Khanevskaya shows that art can paint a sense of peace when words fall short.