It was new, exciting, full of energy. And then, about six months in… boom. Corona. The pandemic. The world just... stopped. You remember that weird time? Like out of a movie? I was probably the last person left in Tel Aviv when they announced lockdown. Honestly, if it wasn’t for my cat, I would’ve just kept working and slept in the studio. I had so many orders, so much work, and zero interest in leaving.
But reality kicked in fast. My friends called me: “Nikita! Get out of there, the city is closing!” So I grabbed what I could, jumped in the car, and drove home to Herzliya Pituach. That drive… I’ll never forget it. Not a single soul on Rothschild Boulevard. No police, no cars. Just me and the camera on my dashboard, feeling like I was living in I Am Legend. It was scary, like seriously scary. No one knew what was going to happen.
And then, suddenly, silence. The shop was closed, the country was closed, and—let’s face it—no one wears jewelry at home. I had nothing to make, no one to make it for.
So I did what every normal person would do. I dug a golf hole in my backyard. Played a few imaginary tournaments. (Spoiler: I always won.) But the grayness of those days started to get to me. I needed color—desperately. So the second the quarantine ended, I ran to the art store, bought my first set of acrylics and a big, blank canvas. I threw it on the floor of the studio and just started pouring. No thinking. No planning. Just... color therapy. Pure chaos. And pure joy.
I sent a photo of that first piece to a friend. She texted back: “You have to keep going.” And I did. Every time I painted something, I sent it to her, and she kept cheering me on. Honestly, I owe her big time.
Even my new shop cat, Yosephon, joined the creative team. He’d sit next to every finished canvas, silently judging it like a true art critic. Sometimes approving, sometimes giving me “the look.” Soon enough, people started coming back to the shop. They saw the paintings—small at first—and started buying them. They told me it made them feel lighter, happier. I guess the colors worked on them too.
And that’s how it all began. No plan. No art school. Just a woman, some paint, a cat, and a global pandemic.
Exhibitions, and Why They Matter (More Than You Think)
Since then, my paintings have found their way into galleries and spaces all across Israel. I've shown at Beit Tzion America (twice!), Ra'anana Art Center, Lake Galleries, Ramat Aviv Mall (also twice), Art & About Gallery, Herzliya Art Center, Castel Museum in Jerusalem, and Happy Place in Kadima. Oh, and let’s not forget Golden Time Talent and the Luxembourg Art Prize—two international competitions that reminded me that this journey was more than a phase.
Each exhibition, whether big or small, group or solo, felt like another step into a world I didn’t plan for, but somehow deeply belong to. They’re not just places to hang work—they’re little celebrations of survival, of emotion, and of transformation. For me, they’re reminders that even in the strangest, most uncertain times… art has a way of finding its place.
Thanks for reading. You can find more of my latest paintings here. Come say hi, bring your cat (optional but recommended). Now in Jaffa, Salame 2, Fine Art Gallery.
Nikita
