Valeriy Gridnev was born in Russia in 1956. After studying at Sverdlovsk Art College from 1976 – 1980 enrolled at St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1983 and graduated in 1990. His graduation project “The Early Years” won The Gold Medal of USSR Academy of Arts. Valeriy worked for 4 years from 1990 at St. Petersburg Academy of Art’s postgraduate “creative” studio. Valeriy has been a member of Russian Artist’s Federation from 1991.
Since 1999 Valeriy lives and works in UK. He has been elected member of British Artists Pastel Society in 2003, British Artists Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 2006 and Federation of British Artists Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 2011.