Artist Profile: Semion Mirkin

Semion Mirkin was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, a fact confirmed by his distinguished accent. He came to the U.S. in 1979, first settling in New York City. Mirkin's business was near the World Trade Center.

After the Sept. 11 tragedy, Mirkin and Milla, his wife of 47 years, were ready for a change. Eight years ago they relocated to Pinole to be near their oldest daughter, Katya Madrid, a Benicia artist.

Mirkin holds a master's of fine arts degree and works in a multitude of media. He carves wood, paints, draws, does mosaics, sculpts in clay and casts silver jewelry and sculptures using the lost wax technique.

His paintings range from small representational landscapes to abstract works inspired by stained glass windows, realistic portraits of family members and stylized portraits of fictitious people and city scenes. As a muralist, he paints landscapes and cityscapes.

After moving to Pinole, Mirkin wanted to donate some his artwork to the city, so he was given permission to create an original mosaic at a park near his home. He also rallied local artists to help him create tiny mosaics for City Hall, representing Pinole's local history. They are made of tiny glass seed beads. Several of Mirkin's murals can be seen around Pinole's downtown.

Mirkin works four hours a day in his home studio, which doubles as a private gallery for prolific body of work.

When asked what he likes about creating art, he replied, “What else would I do? When you retire, you have to do something, right?”

As a member of Arts Benicia, Mirkin will be participating in the upcoming art auction in September.