Roman Opalinski was born in Ukraine, in the town of Grodek near Lviv, where the east meets the west. Growing up in between different cultures, the artist was inspired by the aesthetic of eastern icons and of the French impressionists. The way he creates his works reflects the impact of Old Russian icons, Ukrainian folk art, Picasso, Malewicz, and the precursors of Impressionism.

He graduated from the Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Art (presently Lviv Academy of Arts) – from the Faculty of Glass Art. He has always searched for several means of expression by combining passions such as painting, sculpture, and metal work.

Like many artists witnessing the fall of the Communist regime, he benefitted from the fact that his works could develop after Ukraine gained independence allowing him to participate in national and international exhibitions, which include: "Autumn Salons", "The Arts of Free World" (Lviv), "Art – Ambassador of Freedom and Democracy" (Kyiv), international open-air in Poland, exhibitions in Germany, Netherlands, France, Slovakia and Switzerland.