Alex was born in Russia in 1974 under a Communist regime. He attended Yekaterinburg College of Art, honing his natural talent for painting. Yekaterinburg is at the beginning of the Tran-Siberian Railroad in St. Petersberg and is famous for its scenic reputation. This scenery was hugely inspiration in the development of Pauker’s visual style.

Once he had graduated from art school, he realized he needed further inspiration, travelling the world. He brought along his wife, Sveta Esser, and they experienced the joys of Europe together. Europe was so inspirational to Pauker that he decided to earn a second degree in the Fine Arts – this time as a foreign exchange student. He continued taking classes while working at a publishing house, eventually awarded the International Leningrad Art Contest.