Milla Petrova is a Seattle-based contemporary visual artist born in the former Soviet Union. She works in mixed media — primarily oil, acrylic, and pencil — reinterpreting the iconography of her childhood through the lens of contemporary life.

Her studio, Art By Milla Creative Studio, was founded in 2025 and creates original paintings, commissions, prints, and hand-finished linen napkins.

Her work layers inherited Soviet-era symbols with the imagery of our current systems — surveillance, biology, protest, and technology — to explore inheritance, agency, and what we do with the symbols we’re given. It is realistic in execution and emotional in essence, balancing meticulous detail with the expressive freedom of contemporary abstraction.

While Soviet visual language is a recurring source, her subjects range widely, from political portraiture to Nordic landscapes.

Memory, identity, human vulnerability, and the systems of power and ideology we live inside. Petrova recontextualizes historical iconography into personal, humane narratives — turning abstract concepts and inherited symbols into something intimate and present.

No.

Soviet-era symbolism is an origin point in her practice, not the whole of it. Individual works range from contemporary political portraiture (Frida de Nova) to commentary on technology and culture (Icons of 2022) to abstract studies of place and architecture (Summer in Stockholm).

Each piece begins with its own spark — a symbol, a glance, a landscape.

She lives and works in Seattle, Washington, where Art By Milla Creative Studio is located.

She has created work for private collections in Washington State and California.

Original paintings currently range from about $1,950 to $4,600, depending on size, complexity, and materials.

Each original is a one-of-a-kind work, signed by the artist and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Commissions start at around $1,500 and are quoted individually based on size, detail, and medium. A full estimate is provided before any work begins, with no surprises later.

Reach out through the contact page with your idea, any reference photos, and a sense of the size and feeling you’re after. Milla will confirm the concept, provide a timeline and full estimate, and begin once the deposit is received.

Commissions are accepted for private residences, galleries, and public spaces.

A 50% deposit secures your place and begins the work; the remaining 50% is due once the painting is finished and approved, before shipping.

Yes.

Alongside one-of-a-kind originals, the studio offers fine-art prints of select works, making her imagery accessible at a range of price points. Prints can be browsed in the Prints collection.

Yes.

The studio also offers hand-finished linen textiles and hemstitched linen napkins, extending Milla’s eye for material and detail beyond the canvas. These are available in the Textiles collection.

Every original arrives signed and with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Because each painting is a one-of-a-kind original, originals are sold as final sale. Questions about a specific piece are welcome via the Contact page before purchase.

Both.

Many clients send treasured photographs to be transformed into paintings, a practice that grew during the pandemic.

Milla also builds works from an idea and a real story, giving the art narrative tension, symbolism, and cultural resonance.

Clear, high-resolution images with good lighting produce the best results. The more detail your photo captures, the more faithfully it can be brought to life on canvas.

On average, six weeks to about four months, depending on media, size, complexity, and current studio workload.

A timeline estimate is provided when the project is confirmed.

Yes.

A range of standard canvas sizes is available, and custom dimensions can be accommodated on request.

Yes.

Milla shares progress photos throughout the painting process, and brief video reviews can be arranged so the direction feels right before the piece is finalized.

Because each work is a unique original, the composition is considered complete once approved.

Primarily oil and acrylic on 100% linen canvas, which allows both fine detail and vibrant color. Milla also works in watercolor and pencil on paper, and incorporates mixed media and found objects in select pieces.

Works are finished with archival varnish to protect the texture and color over time.

Yes.

Paintings are carefully packaged and shipped worldwide. Shipping costs and delivery times vary by destination and are confirmed before dispatch.

Yes.

Paintings are carefully packaged and shipped worldwide. Shipping costs and delivery times vary by destination and are confirmed before dispatch.

Each work is finished with a protective archival varnish, then carefully packed to safeguard the surface and edges in transit.

Originals are typically sold unframed, ready for contemporary framing if so desired.