Lena Richards was born and raised in Ukraine, moved to US in 2014. Being raised in orthodox Slavic country, exposure to traditional Byzantine icons and old manuscripts created a fascination and a passion for creating similar artworks. The interest was cultivated through her teenage years and turned into staple in her art by using gold leaf and old Cyrillic calligraphy.

Lena is more professionally known as a fantasy illustrator and concept artist since 2006.