INLAY ART

Nicolai studied western European art in Ashkhabad and Moscow. However, his eye for pattern and color was inspired by daily life in his native Turkmenia, a land of carpets, mosques, and woven textiles. He finds his motifs by cutting through specimens to reveal images like wings of a butterfly or a lotus flower to use as a centerpiece. Nicolai has done this kind of work for over 40 years and has been well received for his lapidary artistry.

Lituana Di Sabatino graduated in Art Design at the Academy of Arts in Bologna with a degree in Painting Education in 2007. After havig trained as a mosaic artist at the workshop of maestro Roberto Marrucci, Lituana now creates mosaic works of her own design, as well as reproductions of antique models. She continues to perfect the Florentine Mosaic techniques and, in turn, passes on the teachings she received to her own students.