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Michael Solovyev is often called a “sunny watercolorist” for his light-filled, transparent works that seem to glow from within. With a background in classical academic art, years of experience as a head theater stage designer, and an oil painting practice, light has become the central subject of his watercolor work. He believes that any subject can become art when revealed through the right light.

Michael sees art as a way of observing the world and sharing that way of seeing with others. His theatrical background strongly shapes his visual thinking: in theater, light defines space, mood, and meaning more than objects themselves. This understanding continues to guide his approach to composition, atmosphere, and storytelling in watercolor.

Watercolor fascinates Michael because it is a true collaboration with the medium. Water flows, changes, and exists in time, introducing unpredictability and life into the process. This element of co-creation, experimentation, and controlled risk is what drew him from oil painting to watercolor and continues to define his artistic practice today.