Andrew Osta was born 1982 in Kiev Ukraine. In 1994 his family immigrated to Canada, but his Ukrainian heritage was always something he treasured and tried to preserve. Prolifically creative, he has continuously occupied himself with writing, composing music, and of course drawing and painting since adolescence. Creative expression is no less essential  to his well-being than food and water. 

He has not taken any formal classes in the arts. As a result, his creative method is very intuitive. He often feels that he does not know what he is doing, yet the sheer force of his intention almost magically guides and informs his creation. 

Osta turned to making art during a time of personal crisis in 2004, while studying Philosophy and Computer Science at the University of Toronto. His drawings and paintings from this time had an outsider quality to them, with elements of surrealism. He achieved representation in several galleries in Toronto and Hamilton in 2005. By 2007, his work had been shown in Canada, USA, Mexico, and South Korea. 

In 2008, Osta was among the founders of the first ever “Healing and Counseling Through Art” program in Canada. He worked with refugee youth, helping them overcome trauma through art. He lectured on this topic at the MacMaster University in Hamilton, as well as in Toronto and in Iquitos, Peru. He only worked part time for two years, from mid 2007 to mid 2009. In 2009 he became fully dedicated to making art. 

In 2009, Osta moved to Peru to study shamanism with the intention of learning traditional healing methods and integrating them into his art and music.  In Peru, he exhibited with the late master of visionary painting, Pablo Amaringo, as well as other top-tier artists. The trip did not go smoothly, however, and following a long series of traumas and unfortunate events, Osta decided to return to the Christian faith of his ancestors. This was nothing less than miraculous considering the fact that he had been deeply entangled in New Age pursuits since the age of 13. This part of Osta’s life is documented in his writings.

In 2011, Andrew moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He quickly befriended a number of important artists, including the late Toller Cranston (Canadian figure skater, painter, and writer). Following Cranston’s untimely death in 2015, Osta briefly explored Europe and had two personal exhibitions in museums before moving to Oaxaca, Mexico. He presently lives in San Andres Huayapam, Oaxaca with his wife, two children, and many animals. All of his time is dedicated to creative pursuits.