Evalina Linn Art Studio & Gallery

Evelina Linn was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She grew up in a family of musicians and artists. Her grandfather, Sergey Uvarov was a professional artist who passed away when her mom was only 10 years old. One of his paintings was right above the piano at home, so Evelina would look at it every day while practicing piano.

Other family members had more of his paintings. Her mom and grandmother told stories about his life and his work. Her parents wanted her to study music, so Evelina started taking piano lessons at 5 years of age, graduated from local music college with major in classical piano in 1993 and worked as a music teacher for 2 years. However, she wanted to have more contact with adults and not as a teacher, but as a friend. She believed being a hairdresser would provide such environment. Evelina moved to the USA in November 1996. She graduated from Ohio State School of Cosmetology and was Hired by Charles Penzone, the best salon in Columbus, Ohio. Evelina felt she found something she loved to do. This career provided an opportunity to meet interesting people she would never meet otherwise: doctors, housewives, lawyers, journalists, students, designers, artists, teachers, engineers... Everyone had a story, and she loved to be a part of their lives. In 2007, an opportunity presented to move to Charleston,WV. Within the first 2 months there, Evelina bought a small beauty salon in the middle of down town in Charleston. She felt like home almost immediately. She learned how to live in the hills covered with untouched forest filled with animals, snakes, birds and insects, many of which she never knew about before. It seemed like she had everything, but at the same time, she felt she needed something more. Then there was 2014, when through a deep personal trauma. It was a very difficult year. To keep herself together and to get a fresh start, she decided to sell everything, close the salon and move to Memphis, TN. Evelina found a job at Gould's salon, doing what she has done for so long, but she also wanted to try something new, not associated with her previous life, something she never had a chance to do before,something she always wanted to do since she was a little girl: drawing. She asked advice from one of her clients Andrea Blevins, a professional artist, who recommended to start with zentangles. Evelina started to draw and then to paint. She took classes at Flicker Street Studio from Sunny Montgomery. Today, she paints every day, and every day is a miracle. She discovered a new world she can be part of, world of art. She feels she continues legacy of the grandfather she only knows from his paintings, but he is still a part of her. Unfortunately Evelina’s family has only five paintings left in their possession after her grandfather’s death. Some of them masters copies and some originals. These paintings were done sometimes between 1945-1960.