Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor (2015, 15" x 20") (Beshbarmak, meaning five fingers in Kazakh, is the national dish of Kazakhstan. It consists of large boiled noodles and meat. It is sometimes served with a sheep head, a delicacy in Kazakh culture. Traditional meals are often served on short tables called dastarhan. Also present are several Russian salads, meat dumplings called manti, fried bread called baursaki, caviar/ikra, and plenty of wine and vodka.)

Available, Contact Artist Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor (2015, 16" x 12") (A bottle of vodka and 3 shot glasses set on a tablecloth backdrop. First shot to the "meeting", second to "friendship" and third to "love".)

Available, Contact Artist Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor and Coffee (2015, 9" x 12") (Pelmeni is a Russian meat-filled dumpling dish often served with sour cream, mayonnaise, ketchup or vinegar. The background is modeled after the ubiquitous birch trees of Siberia.)

Available, Contact Artist Collage: Sumi Ink on Water Color (2015, 6" x 8") (Long before Kazakhstan existed, the area where the city of Almaty sits was once part of the ancient Silk Road. Today spices like mustard seeds and saffron are traded in the Green Bazaar, the central bazaar in Almaty.)

Available, Contact Artist Collage: Sumi Ink on Water Color (2015, 6" x 8") (Pickles often accompany a shot of vodka in Kazakhstan--the perfect chaser. The background is modeled after a traditional Russian tablecloth.)

Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Water Color (2015, 6" x 8") (Sardines on mayonnaise and bread are often made as quick snacks in Kazakhstan., a country thousands of miles from the ocean. The background is modeled after the telnyashka, a striped shirt worn in the Soviet and now Kazakh and Russian navies and armies.)

Available, Contact Artist Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor (2015, 12" x 9") (Central Asia is made up of many ethnicities and nationalities, one such people are the Uyghur from western China. Many Uyghurs have imported "Chinese" style noodles into Kazakhstan and other countries in the area. Instead of soy sauce and other such flavorings many Americans are used to in Chinese food, tomato base soup is often used to flavor lagman.)

Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor and Coffee (2015, 12" x 9") (At the end of every meal comes "chai" or tea. The Samovar is a traditional water heating device used in Russia and Central Asia to make tea.)

Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Water Color and Coffee (2015, 6" x 8") (Russian and Kazakh people often eat candy with tea--sometimes even dipping the chocolates into the tea. The candy wrappers have colorful and interesting names and designs on them. The background mimics the ubiquitous and somewhat odd tradition of hanging pattern carpets on the walls of homes.)

Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor (2015, 12" x 12") (The English word pilaf comes from plov, an oily rice dish from Central Asia. Plov is typically served with carrots, raisins, chickpeas and lamb. The background is based off the nazar, a jeweled talisman that wards off the evil eye.)

Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Watercolor (2015, 6" x 12") Bread (xлеб) is a staple to every meal in Central Asia. Traditional bread is the round and fluffy lepeshka bread (nan or non), cooked in a round clay oven. Lepeshka are great for making pizzas.

Private Collection Collage: Sumi Ink on Water Color (2015, 6" x 8") (Horse meat or kanina is considered a delicacy by many of the nomadic people of Central Asia. It's called the "cheesti" or “clean” meat to eat. Horse meat is even turned into a delicious sausage. This may sound shocking to Americans, especially when faced with canned horse meat, something sold in many supermarkets in Central Asia. The background is modeled after the mosaic tile work of mosques found in Central Asia.)