Elena Penkova

Elena Penkova was born and raised in the tumultuous city of Kiev, Ukraine. As a center for trade and culture, Kiev offered Elena the opportunity to be exposed to a world of art and music from an early age.

Elena graduated from The University of Art and Theater Academy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. As a student, she was introduced and inspired by the great art works of both past and present, those of her own culture in addition to those of other civilizations’ avant garde movements of her time.  Elena could not help but be moved by the haunting beauty and power of these styles. Flexing her artistic talents, she successfully participated in numerous exhibitions and art shows in Ukraine.

Today, Elena now lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Despite the challenges of settling into a new place while establishing her new family, she never gave up on her passion for painting. Her enthusiasm and interest in continuing to develop her art was aroused by her initial encounter with Southern California landscapes, which continue to inspire her. In addition, she enjoys painting still life and figurative art in her spare time.

She is a member of California Art Club and numerous of her original pieces have been exhibited in Women’s City Club, such as “Painting Created in Studio” and “Images of Springtime” in Portico Gallery in Santa Barbara.

Currently, Elena keeps her artistic skills at the ready as a master embellishing artist for Collectors Editions, publishers of Disney Fine Art, where she is a key artistic collaborator with dozens of published Disney artists.

His career has taken him through illustration, animation, and teaching. He has worked as a children’s illustrator, an animator in children’s media, and as an instructor in digital art, drawing, and animation.

Now part of the Disney Fine Art family, Alvarez fulfills a lifelong dream of painting the characters and stories that first sparked his imagination. His debut collection celebrates Disney’s timeless magic through expressive brushwork and heartfelt storytelling—honoring the legacy while remaining unmistakably his own.