Gridnev became noted after his oil painting The Early Years won the Gold Medal of the USSR Academy of Art.
In 1999, Gridnev and his family moved to Hampshire, England where he began working as a portrait artist at Highclere Castle.
He was hosted and commissioned by Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, along with his son Lord Porchester at Highclere.
His painting of a scene at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was used as cover artwork for the 2021 Breeders Cup official program.
[5] He was initially based in and had showings in Russia, at Saint Petersburg and Moscow most notably, but Gridnev also began exhibiting abroad in America, Germany and Spain.