Elena Bond, a native of the former Soviet Union, once felt trapped in a futureless existence. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she won a citizenship lottery, granting her the opportunity to start a new life in the United States.
Bond grew up in Uzbekistan and told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska she couldn't support herself through art.
"It was impossible to sell, and I stopped. For about eight years, I didn't paint at all," Bond said.
After moving to the U.S., she was haunted by her dreams to start painting again.
"It was the scariest nightmare. It wasn't a zombie. It was a big, white canvas. And there was a pallet full of paint; it was my favorite palette knife, I'm visualizing. But, I cannot paint," Bond said. "When I woke up, I was I cannot paint. It's impossible. I cannot paint. I told my husband, and he said you know what? Let's try let you try one more time. I tried. I try."
For the entire month of April, Bond's work will be on display at an exhibition in South Tampa.
"Tampa has such a diverse culture. And I feel like it's our responsibility to bring art you don't see here," Michael Murphy, owner ofMichael Murphy Gallery, said. "It is huge for us. And like I said, I've been working for a year on the show. So I've been excited about this."
"How great is it for you to be in Tampa in our community, showing your art?" Paluska asked.
"It's just fantastic. You know, just like a dream comes true," Bond said.