The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) will present Zufar Bikbov offering a demonstration of painting a nocturnal landscape in oil on Wednesday, February 22, at 1:30 pm.

The program will be in Newtown Meeting House (lower level), 31 Main Street (at the flagpole). The demonstration is open to the public and admission is free.

Russian native Zufar Bikbov started taking drawing and painting classes at age nine. By age 11 he painted his first few plein air works, depicting nearby village cottages and a horse resting next to a carriage delivering pies to the local market.

Trained in Russia in classic academic traditions, Bikbov embraces experimentation in his artwork. His painting style exhibits elements of both realism and impressionism.

A spur of interest in plein air painting in the United States brought the artist to national-level competitions, where he won numerous awards. Among others, Bikbov treasures his Artist Choice Awards, which means the highest recognition from peer competition artists.

He is an awardee of Medals of Honor and merit awards from Hudson Valley Art Association, Kent Art Association, and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

Zufar is known for his painted nocturnal scenes. He has received multiple awards at various competitions for his night scene landscapes.

“My goal is to fill my works with lyricism, which is a story rather than just pure meditation,” says Bikbov, now a Connecticut-based artist. “While painting, a question often arises: What is realism in art in the age of advanced photography? Painting en plein air gives me a chance to answer it.”

Bikbov became a full-time artist and art teacher/educator in 2017. On the faculty of Lyme Academy and American Academy of Landscape Painting, he teaches in-person workshops, online lessons, and via one-to-one mentorship programs.