Trip to Sicily

The last 10 weeks have been draining as Liuda and I moved from Ukraine to Poland and then back to the UK. I never thought a country I lived in would be invaded, however this changed 2 months ago. Now I have had some distance from this, I am seeing what it’s taught me and how it’s reaffirmed my role as an artist.

I am safe, I am free and I am grateful for these things. I am lucky that I have lost little compared to many affected by this war. The sirens, the constant worry, the feeling of being glued to the news and dreading that it may appear outside your window or come through your door all put you on high alert. Constant stress is very draining and left me feeling unable to create anything.

We came back to London and the UK and much of this was reduced, though Liuda and I had no space of our own and we were worn out by our experiences. We’re now in Sicily, after looking for a place to live whilst away from Ukraine, we had little restriction but wanted to keep costs low. Sicily made sense as we could get a change of pace and recharge.

We’ve been here a couple of weeks and I’ve brought a bunch of canvases and paints with me. The colours, the light and the freedom is the perfect combination to find inspiration and energy to paint.

There are wonderful patterns and colour schemes in Sicily, these are informing my new pieces. The experience of the invasion has crystallised my resolve to follow my dreams and paint. When the war first started everything felt futile, as if it could all fall apart. I felt a bit useless as I saw the strength and bravery of people fighting, delivering aid and building resistance. We

However, we each have a part to play in society, Artists must examine their experiences and try to express them for others to unpick, digest and aid them in making sense of their own. The cryptic images and artefacts artists create help others learn something about themselves and find strength to build a better society.

I want people to find in my art a steadiness against the often overwhelming forces of emotion and thought, which can drag us away from the world we live in. For another person to look at something I create and find a moment of peace or serenity is a victory for me and my contribution to society.