Mythical Realism
Nadia Setter
Mythical Realism
Nadia Setter
Myth is truth, made visible.
My art seeks to bridge the ancient and the authentic, rendering the symbolic guides — both light and dark — that shape our inner worlds.
My art seeks to bridge the ancient and the authentic, rendering the symbolic guides — both light and dark — that shape our inner worlds.
Knight Ascending
No longer bound by the L-shaped path, the Knight sheds his constraints and takes flight turning into the winged Pegasus, fierce and free.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x20 in.
Pegasus and Chimera
The primordial clash between a fast and furious creature of Light and multifaceted monster. The decisive, fleeting moment where balance is struck invites you into a timeless narrative of chaos and purity.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 19x25 in.
The embodiment of aspiration — guides of light, rendered in flight
Celestial Realm
Rhapsody in White
Pegasus, as a companion of the Muses, represents inspiration descending from the invisible world of intuition and imagination into the tangible realm where you can shape it.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x20 in.
Dreaming Above the Storm
For the dreamers, the believers and those who seek stillness even when the world shakes. True piece is found not in the absence of turbulence, but in the clarity to rise above it.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 11x14 in.
Trust your Ride
Escaping the limits of the familiar challenges us to trust the power of our inner wings and take flight towards uncharted horizons of possibility
pastel pensils on paper
size: 11x14 in.
Collections
Bring Celestial Realm home
Explore Metal Prints
See your spirit, your strength, your journey - revealed through the lens of the mythical and real
Spirit Animals
The Tiger
A powerful tiger image celebrates all strong characters who have belief, commitment and courage to move forward no matter what, even if standing alone.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 20x16 in.
Quiet Conquest
The juxtaposition of the grace of the feline with the strategic complexities of the game challenges us to embrace our own quiet power, reminding that the path to victory is often paved with thoughtful decisions and instinctual grace.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x20 in.
Phoenix’s Alchemy’ traces the human spirit’s path through description and renewal, fire and rebirth. Horses root the story in earthly defiance, while birds ascend as messengers of transcendent wisdom.
Phoenix’s alchemy
Rebellion
It's a raw storm of emotion, captured in the primal energy of a black horse charging through the storm's fury. Two ravens guide it with the questions: What wisdom will you carry forward? What strength will you unearth when the answer is not yet clear?
pastel pensils on paper
size: 18x24 in.
The Rising Phoenix
A fiery phoenix bird emerging from the mane of a racing horse symbolizes the process of transformation when you become bold enough to burn your bridges and start over.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 18x24 in.
Alchemical Dream
The ethereal silver horse leading by blind trust in the unseen path ahead reminds us that faith and belief lead us toward the brighter future.
pastel pensils on paper
size: 18x24 in.
Explore art prints
Guided Study with Julia Dubinina
Equine portraits
Wild Bay
pastel pensils on paper
size: 12x16 in.
Perlino Horse
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x16 in.
Westphalian Stallion
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x12 in.
Shadow Stallion
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x16 in.
Golden Thoroughbred
pastel pensils on paper
size: 16x12 in.
The Artist
Behind the Myth
Mythical Realism
Nadia Setter is a fine art artist working in pastel pencils on paper and colored pencils and acrylics linen canvas. She is best known for her realistic mythological creature portraits that merge technical precision with surrealist, dreamlike atmospheres. Her work is characterized by deeply layered technique, richly atmospheric grounds, and a consistent thematic framework of guardianship, transformation, and the symbolic cost of power.
Artist’s Background
Setter’s work occupies the threshold between mythological symbolism and contemporary surrealism. Drawing from ancient Greek and classical symbolic traditions, her subjects - archetypal hybrid creatures - are depicted with realism,
collapsing the distance between ancient meaning and immediate presence. What distinguishes her practice is how she built her anatomical knowledge. Rather than academic study, she learned through two years of daily hands-on work with a large herd of horses at the horse rescue in Southern California. Grooming, riding, observing - thousands of hours of direct physical contact with living animals - resulted in knowledge that now lives in her hands. It is the reason her creatures carry weight, breath, and presence that purely observational study cannot replicate.
Resonance Beyond Borders
Setter's most significant ongoing project is The Celestial Guardians, a series assigning mythological winged creatures to the four elements of nature. Collected internationally across the USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, and Russia, Nadia Setter’s work resonates as both a visceral emotional experience and a sophisticated conceptual investment.
Exhibitions
2026
'The Other Art Fair (Spring edition),
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
LA Art Show, digital display at 'Teravarna' Gallery Booth, Los Angeles, CA
2026
Laguna Art-A-Fair, Laguna Beach, CA
2025
Group Show 'Western Art & Art of the Horse' at 105 N Main Gallery, Fallbrook, CA, USA
2022
Group Show 'It's all about me' at Erarta Contemporary Museum of Art, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2020
Group Show at Molbert art gallery, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2020
Group Show at Society of Artists, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2020
Awards
Finalist: American Art Awards,
'Dream of Spix's Macaw'
'Dream of Spix's Macaw'
2020
Finalist:American Art Awards,
'Lost at Sea'
'Lost at Sea'
2020
About the Artist
Professional inquiries
Nadia Setter is available for commissioned works, gallery representation, and collaborative projects
Please, don't hesitate to email
info@nadiasetter.com
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© 2025 Copyright Nadia Setter
Contacts
All text, photo, and video materials belong to Nadia Setter and are for demonstration purposes only.
No reproduction, printing, training in AI models, or commercial use without written permission.
© 2025 Copyright Nadia Setter
No reproduction, printing, training in AI models, or commercial use without written permission.
© 2025 Copyright Nadia Setter
