Galina Zaytseva-Kasatkina was born in Odessa, Ukraine, part of the former USSR, in 1956. Drawn to a creative vocation, Galina studied at the Ukraine’s Institute of Theater and Fine Arts, where she was the student of Alexander Tokarev, Natalia Evleva, and Alex Kramskoy. Though she worked as a set designer at a movie studio in Odessa, Galina was also drawn to the fine arts; she participated in art shows at Odessa’s Museum of Art as well as shows in Moscow, Tallinn, and Kiev. During this period, her favorite subjects to paint were the seascapes and architecture of her hometown, Odessa.

Galina moved to the United States in 1996, and the subject of her art shifted to scenes of California, though memories of Europe still shined through her work. With oil as her primary medium, Galina paints portraits of Americans, famous California images, missions, and memories of Europe. Galina also enjoys acting and is a member of the “Fabulous Monsters” theater company, which can be seen on YouTube.