Aleksander and Lyuba Titovets left their homeland and the city of St. Petersburg where they had each studied to resettle in El Paso, Texas.  Sixteen years later,  Aleksander  was invited to the White House to meet First Lady Laura Bush whose official portrait he would paint for the National Portrait Gallery.  It was an extraordinary honor for the Russian who came to this country with twenty-five dollars, painted garage doors when he arrived, and in a few short years achieved national recognition as an artist.

As a painter, Aleksander gravitates to what he calls “quiet paintings”, paintings which reveal a reflective and optimistic spirit.  His strong, confident  brushstrokes and harmonic use of color creates an inviting warmth that dominates even his signature winterscapes.  Siberian born, Titovets received his Masters in Fine Arts from St. Petersburg University College of Fine Arts. His classical training reflects the Russian School of Oil Painting, a style that combines a powerful realistic involvement with the soft, lyrical looseness of impressionism.

Aleksander has participated in competitions with the National Academy of Design, in New York and the Oil Painters of America. He won Best of Show in the International Fine Art Competition four years in a row among competitors in his region. For many years running, he has been selected as a guest artist for Great American Artists and Artists of America that honored him in 1998 with the Artist's Choice Award. His work is included in public and private collections worldwide, including those of Sophia Loren and the King of Spain, His Majesty Juan Carlos.  Most recently, he was commissioned to paint Laura Bush’s portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.