Timur Akhriev is 24 years old. His landscapes, still lifes, and portraits from the last few years have the consistent vitality of master artists twice his age. An amazing feat, since, with rare exceptions, visual artists begin hitting their stride around 30 years old. A few of the gifted exceptions that created powerful works in their late teens and early 20's are da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Picasso.

Another thing that Timur has in common with the above mentioned artists is that he started serious art training at 12 years old. When we add that his father, Daud Akhriev, and step-mother, Melissa Hefferlin, are accomplished, professional artists we have the ideal soil for the development of an important talent.

Timur grew up in Vladikavkaz, near the war torn area where south Russia meets Chechnya. He then moved to St. Petersburg, where he began art school at 12. After he graduated, he followed his father to Chattanooga, Tennessee. There he lived with his father and step mother in their stunning gallery/home/studio compound, and attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fine Arts program. After that he studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy for one and half years, he polished off his education with a stint with Charlie Cecil, also in Florence.