Valentin Streltsov
- Valentin Streltsov was born on November 21, 1967 in Lviv, Ukraine.
He graduated from the State Art School and Trush’s State Institute of Decorative Arts in Lviv. Since the age of 16 he has worked on several monumental painting projects (murals, mosaics) in Lviv, around Ukrainian Republic and Russian Federation. Since 1986 he has also restored icons for private collections.
1988 - 1989, Valentin worked on restorations of Byzantine icons for churches, antique stores and private collections in Western Europe. He also painted Byzantine icons commissioned by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, Convents and many private collectors.
Since 1990 Iconographer resides in Toronto, Canada.
1990-1996, he was commissioned by Emils Design Ltd. To work on several Iconographic projects.
Together with Emil Telizin designed award-winning Byzantine style mosaics (Smithsonian institution award) in the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist in Regina, Canada.
During 1991-2008 - helped decorate over 30 churches for his teacher, partner and friend
Fr. Theodore Koufos in Canada and USA.
In the same period of time he designed several Iconostases, painted hundreds Traditional Byzantine Icons commissioned by Orthodox Churches, Byzantine Catholic Churches and believers from around the world (US, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Japan), and decorated several Orthodox and Eastern right Byzantine Catholic Churches with Byzantine murals.
In 2007 after decorating the Papal Chapel of Apostolic Nunciate in Ottawa (Canada), Valentin Streltsov was awarded an Pontifical Medal by Pope Benedict XVI.
At present time Valentin working on the murals for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church – biggest Ukrainian Catholic church in the North America and continues to work with Fr. Koufos on the numerous Icon projects.