Liza Surova, a full-time graphic designer and art director, is passionate about photography and uploads her “best” photos on Tumblr (and Instagram). Surova uses her on-going series, “Forest. Ocean. Repeat.,” as a way to stay connected to her family overseas in Russia. “Skype is a great way to keep in touch over the 8,200 kilometres between Port Coquitlam, British Columbia and Moscow,” she writes. “Yet the words fail to describe the beauty (it’s tough to find good connections for video calls in the woods) of the land and ocean, minutes from where I presently live and work.”
Canada’s most western province is referred to as “Beautiful British Columbia” on license plates. And for good reason, Surova says. “Mysterious pine forests abound, brilliant cloud formations touch high mountain ranges, and low mists dig themselves into rich green valleys with deep crystal-clear lakes—everywhere I trek. Taking photographs is an obvious way to capture the beauty of B.C., on my daily hikes.”
Surova was born in Moscow, and graduated from Moscow State University where she studied Media and Graphic Design. Later she moved to Toronto where she completed an advertising and graphic design program at Humber College. Upon graduation she apprenticed at a small ad agency and then moved to British Columbia, where she co-founded the design studio Let’s Panda.