Beyond the Landscape
I Created this piece in response to the war in Ukraine, I used collage, colored pencils, charcoal, ink, pastels and droplets from a hot glue gun. With my sewing machine I stitched blue and yellow zigzag and straight stitches around the sides and bottom, and in between the bottom third and top section.
I sorted through a number of photos of the war, and found this one with a playground among bombed out buildings and rubble. In this photo a man was walking on the sidewalk; but I cut him out and replaced him with a mother and two children, in black and white, appearing to be fleeing, or on the run. I sewed straight blue stitches to create chains of the swings; and for the swings' seats I used embroidery floss.
I used colored pencils and pastels to blend the sunflowers into the sky. In Ukraine, sunflowers are culturally significant representing resilience, the warmth and the power of the sun, and new beginnings. Moreover, they are a beloved symbol of peace. In the lower section, above the sunflowers, I used a hot glue gun to create droplets floating in the air.
Creating this piece was deeply moving and emotional. The horrors suffered by innocent civilians are unfathomable. I think of the children and the anguish of their parents. In contrast to the atrocities of war is the love between people - mothers and children, and the beauty of nature in the form of blue skies and sunflowers.
This piece was accepted into Munka Studio's Ukraine Show, munkastudio.com, 221 Lisbon Street, Lewiston. The exhibition ran from May 31st - August 23rd 2024. Munka Studio generously donated the full 30% of their standard art sale commissions to United24 to support the humanitarian effort in Ukraine.