Learn more about the artist Viktor Shvaiko.  Viktor Shvaiko was born in Altai, Russia in 1965, the son of an economist and an engineer. He grew up in one of Russia’s most remote villages surrounded by the beauty of the wilderness.At the age of 12, he didn’t hesitate to choose studying at junior art school. His natural inclination for the fine arts and his strong urge to share his vision of nature drove him to the Novoaltaisk Artistic School, where he studied for four years. Shvaiko credits his teacher, Ilbek Khairoullinov, for a true arts education.