Kusmin's paintings are the fully fleshed stories of multiple, changing images and impressions, a myriad of memories of a place, the things and the people who have graced it. Even in the paintings devoid of a literal human figure, the people are undeniably present - either just now departed or waiting impatiently in the wings.

“Palette of Dreams,” his debut book, features more than 200 of Kusmin's original paintings presented in nine “chapters” that  best define his work. Each chapter includes the artist's insight into his journey to and through the theme, and many of the images also feature an inside look at the story behind the painting.

Whether the work depicts a chaotic street scene or a calming coastal vignette, an intimate look at a single blossom or a panoramic study of a family farm, a single vacant chair or a myriad of repeated images, Kusmin demonstrates his gift for capturing complicated and often intense stories in a single moment, always with a promise to unveil even more layers of the tale with each new look at the painting.