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WELCOME
Welcome to my site. This site is meant to give a flavor of what I do, but it is by no means exhaustive. I do not update the site often and there is a lot more work available than what can be seen here. So if you like what I do, the best thing is to get in touch. My email is andrew@andrewosta.com and my whatsapp is +52 415 139 5169.
ABOUT
Now, a little bit about me. I was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1982. I did not realize that I had any artistic talent until much later, around 2004. In communist Ukraine, artistic endeavors of any kind were not exactly taken seriously. The only artists I had ever seen in Kiev were people selling paintings for pennies in subway corridors and downtown parks. To be an artist meant not only to be poor but to be a little crazy.
My family immigrated to Canada and I grew up in Toronto and Hamilton. I completed a four year degree at the University of Toronto, but even as I studied, I knew I wanted to do something else. As a result of deep inner searching and experimentation, I discovered that I have a God-given artistic ability, something that was obvious even to me, a person who knew nothing about art, having never taken an art class in my life.
I have always been very curious and adventurous. Spirituality was among my top interests, and related to that, healing. In 2009, I found myself among the founders of the first ever “Healing and Counseling through Art” program in Canada, as part of SISO Canada. I assisted an art therapist for a year in doing art therapy sessions with recent refugee children and youth. The program was successful, but I wanted to learn more about hands-on healing methods and decided to leave my job and travel to Peru to learn from the ayahuasca shamans. My apprenticeship lasted 8 months and ended somewhat badly. Exhausted and broke, I travelled to Mexico, still searching for personal healing. After a number of ceremonies with Mexico’s indigenous people, I ended up with a couple of radical Christians up in the mountains of San Jose del Pacifico. They helped me get back on my feet. I published my diary entries of this period under the title “Shamans and Healers”.
In 2011, I moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is when I was first able to fully live from the sale of my paintings. Although I was showing in galleries since 2004, sales were sporadic and I had to maintain myself through part-time work. But from 2011, I became a full-time artist. I met a lot of amazing artists in San Miguel and became a close friend of Canadian figure skater and artist Toller Cranston. His advice and help (he exhibited together with me, bought my work, traded work with me, etc) were a huge help along the path to success. While in San Miguel, I wrote two more books : “Walk in the Light” about my first few years as a Christian, and “Remembering Toller Cranston” about our friendship, written shortly after his untimely death.
In 2017 my son Nico was born and I moved to Oaxaca. Two years later, my daughter was born. I continue to be a full-time artist. I estimate that over 700 of my oil paintings are currently in private and public collections all over the world.
Studio visits are welcome by appointment (+52 415 139 5169 or andrew@andrewosta.com)
Representation in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
As of March 2024:
Hecho en Mexico (Ancha de San Antonio #8)
Casa Sollano 40 (Only by appointment)
Sual Gallery (Fabrica Aurora)
Hotel Nena
Bordello Galeria / Casa de la Noche
Representation in Oaxaca, Mexico
As of March 2024:
Studio Andrew Osta (415 139 5169)
Tienda Union (La Union #7 San Andres Huayapam)
Representation in Huatulco, Mexico
As of March 2024:
Copalli Gallery
Other Representation:
Hamilton, ON, Canada
Iquitos, Peru
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Edina,MN, USA
Shreveport, LA