by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Alexei Dymov

Age: 35

Occupation: Artist, author, entrepreneur

Bio: This saucy NDG resident arrived in Canada from his native St. Petersburg back in 1998, just in time to realize his "dream of celebrating my 30th birthday in Canada." An enterprising young man, one year later he had established Creative Reflections (www.creativereflections.ca), an art brokerage of sorts matching local portrait artists with potential clients "to create something beautiful. Creative Reflections is not just a commercial project. The main reason for it is to share the beauty. Professionally, I know what beauty is, and the idea to put together the face of a client with the beauty of art is to create something beautiful. I strongly believe that beauty will save the world. Art fights not just for peace, but serves as a weapon to influence people and save them." He is also the author of three books of portraiture, the first of the series, Great Russians, being hailed by all concerned as the greatest thing since Stalin's Five Year plan.

How much a Creative Reflections portrait will set you back: Between $400 and $3,000.

Something he is always on the lookout for: Talented local portrait artists.

Does he spend his summer evenings scouring Old Montreal hunting down gifted caricaturists? Not so much.

Another one of his books: Canadian Celebrities: Portraits and Beyond. "I did it to show this great country to the rest of the world. And there is so much to show. I think there may be even more great Canadians than there are Russians."

Two of his Canadian celebrity greats: Celine Dion, Pete Trudeau.

Four other great Canadian celebs who didn't make it into his book: Jennifer Dale, Jane Eastwood, Lorraine Segato, Gordon Pinsent.

Something he did in the last few years of the cold war: Lived out at sea manning the torpedo guns on a Soviet nuclear submarine.

Was there a lot of homosexual activity going down under the ocean? Not that Alexei was aware of.

Something he nearly did which might have changed the world somewhat: Start WW3."Once, the Americans were in the Black Sea and we were in full preparation to launch an attack on them. We had two nuclear torpedoes aimed at them, but I think the authorities finally realized that it was too dangerous, for us as well as them. This is probably still a big secret in the Russian army, so, well, I guess that's all I should tell you. But seriously, there were a lot of very crazy moments like that. It's funny, we were real enemies back then. But I've since learned it was all bullshit, that we are all the same, we just didn't know it so much then."

Hobbies: Reading and fishing.

Last book read: Henry V, by Big Bill Shakespeare.

Musical preferences: U2, Tchaikovsky, Sade.

Fave TV show: Super Millionaire

Childhood ambition: To fly a Sputnik up to the moon.

Where you might find him boozin': Brutopia.

Words of wisdom: "Good and evil are the two masks in the theatre of human weakness."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca