ALEXANDER VASOLLA

Alex was born in Bucharest, Romania during the height of the Soviet communist era, when Romania was under Ceausescu’s regime. But growing up there at the time was not entirely as bad as it sounds, having close proximity to the Carpathian mountains which provided recreational time spent both in the summer and winter. These early vacations into the mountains provided a foundation in Alex for the deep appreciation and connection to nature.  

At the age of 6, his parents decided to separate. Alex and his mother set out to illegally escape the communist regime and exit The Iron Curtain.  This was done via a trip to Bulgaria, hiding out in safe houses and taking a train to Belgrade, Yugoslavia then farther west. After a James Bond-like experience and close call they found themselves in Vienna, Austria, where Alex and his mom spent a year and a half. From there, emigration was arranged to Alberta, Canada; way out in "the wild west".

From 7 years old onward, Alex grew up in Alberta and became interested in the history and culture of the Northern Plains Nations. This interest continued into university where Alex studied Anthropology, focusing his studies on the native culture and history. Alex resided mainly in South Dakota, USA during this period, being in the center of the Northern plains. An intimate contact with the landscape ensued as Alex explored historical and culturally significant sights from Alberta/Saskatchewan into Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and North/South Dakota. These studies embedded research for canvas paintings that focused on those themes that continue to this day.

While growing up in Alberta, Alex got involved in martial arts from the age of 12. Though initially drawn to traditional Japanese Budo and Bujutsu, he settled on the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, which at that time was very dynamic and powerful. Alex had the luck of having outstanding and renowned teachers who guided him to national level championships. During high school, Alex spent all his summers training in one of the top Korean high school championship teams, as well as training with members of the Korean National Team and Olympic teams. 

After his competition years and anthropological studies, Alex decided to perfect his artistic skills by studying animation and design at one of the top schools in the world, Sheridan College near Toronto, through their Classical Animation program, from which Alex graduated with honors. He also received accolades for his short film "Bucephalus", which showcased the intimate bond between Alexander The Great and his mighty steed.

Throughout all these years the painting continued, eventually starting to focus on equine, wildlife, and historical subjects. After Sheridan, Alex landed a position as Art Director for a feature animation production in Egypt, which enabled Alex to reside in Cairo for two years. "The Knight and The Princess" (2019) was nominated for "Best Animated Feature" at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2020, "Best Animated Feature" at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2021, and also screened at the El Gouna Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival.

This stay enhanced a long held interest in Egyptology, which Alex took every chance to explore first hand while in the country. These research opportunities also led to developing paintings, and ancient Egyptian themes started coming through his art works.

The proximity to the Thoroughbred Arabian horse industry in the Middle East was also pivotal in developing further understanding of horses in all aspects. Indeed Alex got to know some of the top breeders in the Arabian horse industry throughout the world and painted many fine portraits of these valiant creatures. However, Alex's research didn't end there. In 2009 he moved to Nairobi in East Africa, where he was going on constant safari. His treks with African wildlife, following lions and cheetahs on their hunts, led to some wonderful reference for even more magnificent art works; some of which are available here on our website.

After returning to Canada, Alex re-sparked his initial interest in traditional Japanese Budo, specifically Kendo/Kenjutsu and Iaido/Iaijutsu. Constant training continues to this day, as does research into Samurai culture and history, which occupies much of Alex's time. He also instructs Taekwondo for a local dojang.

Professionally, Alex has worked for network television for the past decade. He spent 5 years at CBC, 2 years at CTV, and nearly 2 years at Sportsnet, providing journalism graphics and animations for all three networks. He was on staff working on "The National" for CBC when it won the award for "Best News Program" in Canada.