Welcome

Hello and Welcome to my very first Maksim Katsnelson blog. I first want to introduce myself. I am from New York and I am 24 years old. I was originally born in Russia St. Petersburg then known as Leningrad, and I came here when I was about 5. I came with my parents my grandfather and my older sister. We came because of anti semitism back in the USSR in 1991, and for better opportunities in America. I went to school in bedstone college, which is in England, by wales in south Shropshire. It was a very rural farmland type of place and very fresh air, green acres and cows mooing. After they kicked me out I went to a New York high school called Beacon, and then dropped out in the beginning of 12th grade. I then started working as a lifeguard for about 4 months. But that wasn't as interesting as I expected. It didn't pay very well. I had a number of odd jobs, like moving, painting hats in times square... and playing guitar in the subway. All were interesting experiences. Then I got arrested once in a superman costume in times square and it made all the news. I was surprised it did. That incident is all over google on mine and Superman's name if you type superman arrested or Maksim Katsnelson. Then one day out and about in Union Square I met a street artist named Peter Zonis. He read about me in the paper and invited my to hang out near barney's where he sells his oil pastel paintings. He wanted me to come in a Superman outfit as the story was still fresh I got arrested. So I did, then when I got there he invited me to eat at a restaurant up the block called Nellos. So I went, in my superman costume. Peter was saying he wanted to get the paparazzi to take pictures and wanted to publicize his artwork through my story somehow. It never worked out. I of course for the arrest incident had to go to court. And keep on going to court for about a year or so. Then because I am married and my son was just born, didn't want the case to go to trail. Which if I wasn't married, and didn't have a child to support definitely would have went to trail. Definitely. Anyway I took a plea for ten days of community service which went by pretty quickly. Meanwhile while waiting for the case to finish I took advice from an artist I met at Nellos to paint original paintings and paint them large. I actually first started out bar tending for the restaurant but that wasn't for me. I then figured since I am so good at art, ( I used to get all A*s in school for art, and nothing else) why not start painting at the restaurant, so I asked the owner if I could paint some paintings or if he was interested in buying any other work that I did in the past ( which wasn't much) he agreed. He wanted me to paint his grand daughter. So he gave me some money for the materials, and asked me to do it in the restaurant. After it was finished he liked it and gave me 100 for it. I was thrilled that I sold my first painting, which Van gogh only got to do once. So then I started getting more into it. I wanted to repaint part of the Sistine chapel, when I took the advice of an artist I met at Nellos named Denis Heraud. He told me 'Paint Original and do them BIG'. So I got some materials from Lees art shop, a canvas which was 110 by 60 inches, and some acrylic paint. Then I went to Columbus circle by the park and start painting. Initially I had no idea what I was doing, but I didn't care I just had an urge to paint something. I used my hands and water and splatted the paint around in different ways. People around me were curious. Then waited for it to dry. After it dried I wrapped it up and took it home. Later that week I went back to Columbus circle and sold it for 800. I called it Jazz in Space, and I sold it to Ron Sweeney. After that big break I went and got some more materials and painted another one in union square. It wasn't as large, but still pretty good.( I called it Fire) I sold that one for much cheaper, about 350, to Frank V. Carrone with the help of Nello that time. The next painting I did was as big if not bigger. I did it in Union Square as well. It was probably the best one so far. It was also the last one that I did before turning 24. So I called it Uncontainable 23. I sold it to Richard Shapiro for 1,000. I sold it very quickly out in the street the first time so quickly outside of barneys on madison ave. Peter Zonis was there and was proud too. I also did some portrait work, to Bill a bartender who worked at Nellos. Gave me a commission to paint his 1 year old son for 130. The last painting I did was just as large as the previous and it is currently on sale for about 1,200. I also play music. I played guitar on the street before in union square with a friend Imad Allouch. We once got a good crowd around us, that tipped alot and danced and took pictures. After that one time we haven't really played much. Imad moved away, and I got into art and superman. The superman days were supposed to be just performing and posing for tourists. Me and a friend Johnny Gell came up with the idea. We were going to before I got arrested expand this idea into maybe a YouTube series or something with a script maybe not. It never happened though. I also play piano and have recently gotten very serious about it. I play classical music like Bach, and I also make my own music and upload it on YouTube. So this is a fast description of my current, and past life, I would like to write more in the future stay tuned.

                                         Maksim Katsnelson