Check Out Ksenia Moroz’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ksenia Moroz.

Hi Ksenia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born into a very creative family in a small Russian town — my father was a historian, my mother a music teacher, and my uncle an artist. When I was five, my mom noticed my interest in drawing after I decorated a wooden bookshelf with charcoal from the fireplace. That moment convinced her to send me to art school.

I studied at the Tavda School of Arts in Tavda, Russia. The education there was very technical — full of structure and correction, more about discipline and standards than self-expression. But I’m truly grateful for it, because it gave me a strong foundation and the discipline to grow as an artist.

Still, my real artistic freedom began after graduation, when I started traveling. I’ve visited 12 countries, and every place influenced me — the nature, the colors, the moods, the people. It was during those travels that I began developing my own style.

My deepest inspiration has always been nature. I work almost exclusively with watercolor because the process feels meditative and alive — there’s a deep sense of presence when I paint, like time stops. It’s a quiet dialogue with the world.

Four years ago, I moved to the United States, and it’s here that I’ve really grown as an artist. In America, I’ve found the freedom to express myself fully — without the judgment or limitations I sometimes felt back home. Now I live in Phoenix, Arizona, painting every day, creating postcards, bookmarks, and larger works inspired by natural landscapes. It’s both my passion and my purpose.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road definitely hasn’t always been smooth, but every challenge helped shape who I am as an artist.

Growing up in a small town in Russia in the 1990s, there wasn’t much room for self-expression — especially in the arts. Creative freedom didn’t really exist in the environment I was raised in. Art education was very strict and conservative. While I’m grateful for the technical foundation it gave me, it took years to unlearn the inner rigidity and to feel safe expressing myself fully.

When I moved to the United States, the main challenges were political rather than personal. Artistically, it was the opposite — I felt free here. In the U.S., art is loved, supported, and respected in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I’ve been able to grow, collaborate, and find my audience without fear of judgment.

Of course, like many artists, I struggle with self-criticism. I’m rarely 100% satisfied with my finished pieces — I always see what could’ve been better. But I’ve learned to keep going, because the feedback and love from people who buy and connect with my work reminds me that perfection isn’t the goal. Growth is.

I’m also very lucky to have had strong support from my partner — he believed in me early on, helped financially with things like art markets and materials, and gave me the space to truly invest in this path. That kind of support makes a big difference when you’re trying to build something meaningful from your creativity.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a watercolor artist with a deep connection to nature — it’s my biggest source of inspiration and the core of everything I create. My recent focus has been on handmade bookmarks, especially themed around U.S. National Parks. I’m currently in the middle of a personal challenge: painting several parks a day. These pieces have been especially well received, and I’m in the process of partnering with local bookstores to offer them for sale.

While I also create larger paintings and postcards — especially preparing for the fall “Junk in the Trunk” market in Arizona — bookmarks have a special place in my heart because they allow me to bring nature into people’s everyday lives in a small, soulful way.

What sets my art apart is that it’s not about realism — it’s about feeling. Each piece holds a story and a piece of my heart. I blend the spaciousness of the Russian soul with the freedom and openness I found in America. I also love to combine watercolor with colored pencils for texture, and I often incorporate natural elements like dried flowers, craft paper, and twine into my packaging. Even my market booths are decorated with moss, stones, and branches — I want people to feel like they’re walking into a forest.

I have a background in education, so I also love connecting with people — which is why I enjoy art markets and sharing my process on social media. My goal is not just to sell art, but to create moments of presence and reflection. I believe there’s no such thing as competition in art — every artist has their own way of seeing and feeling the world. And I’m proud to have found mine.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe that nothing in life happens by accident. Even difficult or seemingly “bad” events are often the universe’s way of protecting us, redirecting us, or slowing us down at exactly the right moment. If I get a flat tire, I don’t see it as bad luck — I think, “Maybe this saved me from something worse around the next corner.” That’s just how I see life.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to meet the right people at the right time — mentors, supporters, friends — often without them even realizing how much they helped me on my path. I always mentally thank the universe or God for sending such people into my life.

I rarely view anything in my creative business as a true “failure.” Even when something doesn’t go as planned — like spilling paint on a finished piece — it’s a chance to improvise, to make something new, even more alive. I’ve learned to trust these moments.

But I also don’t believe in relying on luck alone. I think life is about balance — luck, yes, but also intuition, hard work, consistency, and faith. If I’ve been given the gift and skills to express the soul of nature through watercolor, I see it as my joy and my responsibility to keep doing that with love and intention.

Pricing:

• Bookmarks: $15-$20
• Postcards: $30
• A4 (8×11): $50
• A2 (16×23): $100

Contact Info:

• Instagram:@moroz_customart
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@moroz_customart
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moroz_customart

Image Credits
Main photo of me by Alex Zaki