Souvenirs decorated with Ilimsk painting

A unique style of painting used for wooden products has developed in the north of the present Irkutsk region, in the town of Ust-Ilimsk. Inhabitants from the Urals began to move to these lands in the 19th century. There were masters of wood painting among them. They painted house shutters, doors, Russian stoves and other household objects. After flooding of local villages there were almost no specimens left, therefore, the ancient art had to be completely restored in the 1990th. Nowadays, these products are being created by local artisans including Elena Mikheenkova, a master of folk crafts.