TIME capsules of West Cork’s beautiful urban scenes, landscapes, and seascapes have been captured by Ukranian artist Tetiana Milshyna, through her captivating watercolour paintings.
Her exhibition, Paintings from War to West Cork, is currently on show at Swerve Gallery in Skibbereen until this Saturday, September 2nd.
Tetiana likens her work to a time capsule, capturing the light, mood, atmosphere and character of a scene at a particular moment in time.
In Skibbereen, where Tetiana is currently showing work, she said there is a great variety of nature to draw inspiration from.
‘You can even choose what you would like to paint,’ she said, noting that there are hills, lakes, the sea and vast landscapes in the town and surrounding areas.
Tetiana, who has painted for as long as she can remember, was once an artist and watercolour art teacher in Kyiv.
That all changed on February 24th of last year, on Tetiana’s birthday, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
‘I used to be an art teacher in Kyiv and that day I wanted to do something for my colleagues, to bake a cake or something nice to celebrate. I should have had some art classes as well.
‘But between like four and five in the morning I heard explosions and I talked with my mother and I said what happened? And she told me the war had started.’
Tetiana said people vacated Kyiv in search of safer places in Ukraine, but her family had nowhere to go, so they remained in their apartment in the capital city, in the hopes that the war would end soon.
‘We believed in our troops, our country, our people,’ she said.
A close friend of Tetiana’s invited her to come and stay in Cork city where she had been living with her husband for the past 25 years.
‘Despite the fact that I had dreamt of being in Ireland, and despite the fact that this person is very close to me, it was a very hard decision for me to really leave my former life, even if it’s changed.’
But her family asked her to use the chance to go to a safe location.
Despite the harrowing circumstances, Tetiana immersed herself in art from the moment she arrived, painting landscapes, urban scenes and nature.
Tetiana soon became a member of Sample Studios in Cork which afforded her new opportunities to engage in creative projects and to exhibit her work in studios across Ireland.
‘I’m very grateful for all Irish people on my way and all Irish artists or people who are involved in the art scene here that gave me these opportunities.’
Aoibhie McCarthy, the artisitc director of Sample Studios and Mich Maroney, artist and owner of Swerve Gallery, are among the people who have given Tetiana the opportunity to showcase her artwork here.
‘I hope the war will stop soon,’ said Tetiana. ‘But now there is no obvious signs that it will finish really soon.’ Of course she would like to see her parents and her sister, but she is also enjoying her time in Ireland.
Tetiana’s pursuit of art, despite the challenges she has faced, shows her resilience and hope.
‘I am living my dream,’ she said, ‘I would like to mix these two countries in my heart.’
