Mikhail Starchenko is Russian artist/illustrator and AWS signature member with an artistic focus on hyperrealism in watercolor. He was born in Ulianovsk, also known as Lenin’s birthplace, which is located on the Volga river, the largest river in Russia.

He received his art education at Zagorsk Industrial Art & Design college and started his career as a freelance artist/illustrator. He created airbrush posters for advertising, movies and celebrities. In 1989, Mikhail was a winner of an MTV contest and his poster “My Generation” was chosen from more than 35,000 entries for the Moscow Music Peace Festival.

In 2014, Mikhail returned to watercolor with a focus on hyperrealism. His paintings are a symphony of transparent colors, detail and patience. Each complex piece of art takes 250 – 800 hours to complete. He became a signature member of the American Watercolor Society in 2021.