Volunteers in the Battle for Life and Freedom

Volunteers hold the world. Alina Monastirska. Oil painting on canvas

Exhibited print on paper 50x70cm.
Price (without frame): 50€

Each hand on the canvas reflects a different type of volunteer activity, from providing medical assistance and helping animals to rebuild cities after wars. These hands illustrate the diversity and importance of volunteers' role in our society. After all, the world is sustained by help and support. Volunteers give a piece of themselves, making the world a little happier. This is inspiring. They act as that necessary link that holds society together, providing aid to those in need. As long as there are volunteers in the world, the sun will shine for all of us.

Bio: Alina Monastirska is a 22-year-old artist living in Ukraine. Alina graduated from an art school with honors and is currently studying for a master's degree in "Fine arts, decorative and applied arts, and restoration". Monastirska won 1st place at the III All-Ukrainian Art Competition "Ukraine is United."

Link to the artist's page

Pulse of humanity. Kateryna Goncharova. Mixed media painting on canvas

Exhibited print on paper 50x70cm.
Price (without frame): 50€

Everything created in this world is created by the heart and hands. They represent the power of love, pure intention, and reverence for life. We voluntarily take on the cross of responsibility, and it is alive - it will be covered with young shoots, bloom and bear fruit, and only they can genuinely saturate the soul. We voluntarily carry on our backs those who cannot care for themselves. We improve and develop through the privilege of serving the world. We are not accidental here. We are all debtors of love. And that is why we are human. A sincere heart can save thousands of lives! If you break and fall into the abyss, the participation and empathy of a sensitive heart will keep you in this world. My work is a tribute to all volunteers whose hands and hearts lie hundreds of thousands of saved lives!

Bio: Kateryna Goncharova is a Ukrainian artist born in the Kherson region, currently residing in Armenia. Her work revolves around important social and philosophical issues such as war, emigration, the role of volunteers, refugee issues, environmental issues, and issues women face in a patriarchal society. Kateryna also loves creating figurative artworks dedicated to human diversity, inclusivity, and inner strength. Kateryna prefers to create her works in mixed media with oils and acrylics. “I consider my picture successful when it affects a person from the inside, helps to understand something in oneself, and reveals thoughts and feelings that may not have been able to express before. Even if an artwork only touches a small part of the viewer's soul, it can still be considered a meaningful and living creation, from heart to heart."

Link to the artist's page

Thread for thread. Natalka Nechay. Acrylic painting on canvas

Exhibited print on paper 50x40cm.
Price (without frame): 40€

I wanted to tell about women, a whole army of women who, from the first days of the russian agression, stood on their front line for help. Many of them are already 70 or 80 years old or even older! They survived the artificial famine and repression created by the Soviet Union and the horrors of the Second World War. They survived, preserved their land and love for the Motherland - and now the war has come again!... Now they prepare dry rations and goodies, make trench candles and medicinal ointments for healing wounds, weave camouflage nets and special "Kikimori" clothes for our dearest defenders - how much strength and health is enough! Thread by thread, strand by strand - difficult memories are pouring out, and at the same time, the work is progressing. Volunteering is about great LOVE.

Bio: Nataliya Nechay is a Ukrainian painter with extensive experience working mainly in book graphics, although now she is more focused on easel painting. More than 30 books have handmade illustrations by Natalia. The artist has an original technique of working with acrylic on canvas. Landscapes and still lifes, as well as an in-depth look at contemporaries, are topics that fascinate and find embodiment in the works of the author. With the beginning of a large-scale war, the family had to leave Kyiv region for several months to the west of Ukraine. The artist's daughter became a volunteer in 2014 from the first days of russian aggression. After the death of her beloved husband during the defense of the Kyiv region, volunteering became her way of life. We are bringing the Victory of Ukraine closer so that the heavy losses on the way to Freedom are not in vain.

Link to the artist's page

Those who give hope. Olha Malko. Watercolour painting on paper

Original: watercolour painting on paper, 2023.
Exhibited print on paper 50x40cm.
Price (without frame): 40€

Those who give hope. They are among us and give hope to animals, people, and me that humanity will not fall into the abyss of heartlessness, cruelty, and profit. They are like Atlanteans who come to help in a difficult moment, carrying the burden of the world on their shoulders. They keep faith in humanity. The creation of this work was inspired by Ukrainian volunteers who helped the residents of Irpin to leave the city during the russian invasion in 2022. Thanks to them, women, children, elderly people, and domestic animals were transported across the destroyed bridge over the Irpin River under constant fire. My work is a letter of thanks to everyone who supports the needy in this incredibly difficult time.

Bio: Olha Malko lives and works in Moryntsi village in Ukraine. She is an artist not by education but by vocation. Olha studied pharmacy at Zaporizhzhia State Medical University. She went to a children’s art school when she was a child. And she has painted, taken classes, and been self-educating all these years. Olha Malko works primarily in watercolor but also oil. She painted many original watercolor and oil pictures, created hundreds of digital designs on transparent backgrounds for printing, and illustrated a few books for kids. She has had a few solo exhibitions and taken part in group ones. Her artworks are in many private collections over the world."

Link to the artist's page

Our Children`22. Lusia Bogdanowicz. Sculptural felting, wool

Orientation: 1

Little humanitarian aid volunteer. Ludmila Popova. Acrylic painting on canvas

Exhibited print on paper 40x50cm.
Price (without frame): 40€

The painting portrays little humanitarian aid volunteer Nina Skrynska. This 3-year-old girl was helping her parents, who volunteered to aid and care for displaced Ukrainian families who fled russia's aggression and found refuge in Rivne in west Ukraine. The family got their friends together to fundraise for food, clothes, and other essential things for the displaced families. The painting echoes Edvard Munch's The Scream, which cries out in pain and terror. Nature suffers greatly from russia's onslaught in Ukraine as invaders blow up dams and destroy cities and villages. Yet Ukrainians have a strong will to fight against the enemy despite the terror and find resolve in humanitarian aid efforts. The bridge the child is crossing, with a pack of humanitarian assistance, embodies the spirit of Ukraine's unity. She goes the way of kindness and love that can bring hope of a brighter future to Ukraine and the world.

Bio: Liudmyla Popova lives in Rivne City in Ukraine. She graduated from Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. For twenty years, she had been excelling as a graphic designer. In 2020, after three years of self-study, she discovered a newfound passion for watercolors and devoted herself to mastering the intricate art of watercolor painting. Seeking to further develop her skills, in 2021, Liudmyla enrolled at the First Private Academy of Arts in Vienna. This marked a pivotal moment as she explored a fresh style and embraced acrylic techniques. Her artworks now express emotions through vibrant colors and captivating imagery.

Link to the artist's page

Volunteer's Touch. Yuliia Ustymenko. Oil painting on canvas

Exhibited print on paper 40x50cm.
Price (without frame): : 40€

Have you ever heard of Kintsugi? It's a captivating Japanese technique that delicately restores broken pottery using lacquer mixed with gold powder. In the hands of a skilled master, a fractured object emerges with a new lease of life. Kintsugi celebrates the beauty of scars that shape our identities. For me, this art mirrors the essence of volunteering. It's not just about assisting. It's about showing empathy for others' pain and honoring their resilience. The painting "Volunteer's Touch" is a tribute to Ukrainian volunteer Victoria Gusarova, who has devoted the last ten years to rescuing wild birds. Falcons, hawks, owls, storks, hoopoes... Many avian species with complex injuries and diseases find refuge in her. I am in awe of Victoria's unwavering determination and dedication as she passionately fights for every life. And she prevails! Thanks to her, numerous birds once destined for death now soar freely in the skies again.

Bio: Yuliia Ustymenko, a Ukrainian artist specializing in oil paintings, embraces an exquisite fusion of gold leaf, structural paste, and pigments to infuse her artworks with opulence and luminosity. Her artistic repertoire revolves around animal portraits and colorful abstractions. She deftly weaves strands of philosophy or humor within them, intending to elicit genuine emotions in her audience. The artist lives in Bucha, a small town near the Ukrainian capital, which the whole world has learned about because of the atrocity of the russian army. Her family miraculously survived, but the tragedy left a deep scar. It rendered her unable to paint for over a year. Yet, through volunteering, Yuliia restored her inner equilibrium. Volunteering daily is her source of solace, transforming grief, fear, and anger into gratitude, love, and hope. Now, once again, her canvases come alive with colors, and she believes in the victory of Ukraine.

Being strong. Karina Danylchuk. Watercolor painting on paper

Exhibited print on paper 50x40cm.
Price (without frame): 40€

You can't save everyone and everything—human lives, animals, affected people, buildings, and culture. And even when many people are volunteering for months or years, it does not produce an ideal result. I guess the solution is to focus on a problem you can handle. You have to make a choice, perhaps the most difficult of your life. Sometimes volunteers must be solid not to dwell on how many people, animals, and everything we have already lost. They have to focus on those who they can still save.

Bio: Karina Danylchuk, Ukrainian artist, born in Mykolaiv region, based in Kyiv. She started her art career in 2018, and in 2021, she showed her artwork at the first exhibition in the Khmelnytskyi region. In 2022 Karina continued her activity, participating in Ukrainian and international group exhibitions (Slovenia, Poland). In 2022-2023 she volunteered as a content maker for the Ukrainian artists' community Uartist. Karina works with watercolor as a medium to express how fragile the bird and nature are. She depicts the unique personality of each bird in the most delicate fashion.

Link to the artist's page

Star flowers of our country. Yasya Shlepetska. Gouache drawing on paper

Exhibited print on paper 70x50cm.
Price (without frame): 50€

Volunteers are flowers that adorn our world with the kindness of their souls. There are names of notable volunteers shining during difficult times for my country. You can read on the flowers. I consider red-haired Tata Kepler the main star of the volunteer family, who provides tactical medicine to our soldiers and goes to the front with her team, helping people who still live in villages under constant shelling. Thanks to her volunteer movement, thousands of lives have been saved.

Bio: Yasya Shlepetska is a Ukrainian artist who lives in Slovakia. In her hometown, Dnipro, located in the East of Ukraine, she attended an art school and then studied at the university, specializing in interior design. After graduating from university, she worked as a graphic designer. During her maternity leave, while establishing herself as a mother, she reconsidered her career direction and currently works as an art therapist and a commercial artist. When the full-scale invasion in Ukraine began, Yasya was involved as a volunteer, helping refugees find housing. Thanks to her Slovak language skills, she also served as a translator between Ukrainian patients and Slovak doctors at an oncology center. Yasya has always been emotionally attached to Ukraine and honors her heritage. During the war, she created many sketches supporting Ukraine. Then she turned them into prints, postcards, and painted patriotic T-shirts because she felt art could never be separate from reality.

Link to the artist's page

United Souls. Margarita Stepanova. Acrylic painting on canvas

Exhibited print on paper 50x40cm.
Price (without frame): 40€

The world needs volunteers to have hope for tomorrow. Volunteer work unites us, gives us faith, and makes us human. Today, I have no doubts that volunteer activity in Ukraine has become a solid and indomitable force in the struggle for the life and freedom of our people. Volunteers organize fundraising daily for our defenders' needs. Volunteer centers help with evacuation, housing, medicine, clothes, and food to people affected by shelling, forced to leave their homes due to war, flooding, occupation... They save animals that need help no less than people. A good deed unites souls, has immeasurable power, and has no religious, ethnic, or geographical limitations.

Bio: Margarita Stepanova is an artist from Southern Ukraine, the city of Kherson. Studied at Kherson State University, majoring in Fine Art and Design, and has a bachelor's degree. She has been a full-time artist since 2020, working in the acrylic technique. Margarita is a member of the union UARTIST 83. Her message in the art is: "Time is fleeting! Sometimes I want to say: - a moment, stop! Instancy - you're incredible! But it is impossible to stop time. We can only leave a memory of our feelings from what we saw or heard. And it seems that art can create new memories and history!"