Ukraine is an eastern European country that is currently in a protracted war that has made a lot of headlines. People have lived there since the stone age, it is centrally located next to six other countries and the Black Sea to the south. Ukraine is known for large expanses of wheat and sunflowers which give it the distinctive yellow and blue flag, as a child we knew of the Ukrainian painted Easter eggs which can be very elaborate. Using fine wax drawings on a carefully emptied eggshell, the layers of paint would create blocks of colours, then upon melting the wax the fine lines would show up in the design. When we tried it in class most students broke their eggs including me probably! Ukrainian traditions are really important for maintaining their cultural identity in the face of many challenges. Researching Ukraine landscapes revealed a low-lying forested land with plenty of lakes and rivers. I started to see pictures of mushrooms, including some that looked just like the ones that the Smurfs live in, red with white spots on top. It was actually an article on bioluminescent plants and insects in Australia that gave me the idea, as it turns out, a lot of mushrooms are bioluminescent when viewed under a UV light. In the painting, it depicts the glowing mushrooms on the forest floor. It reminds me of the James Cameron movie Avatar, when they are walking around the fluorescent neon forest.
World Inspired Landscapes: Ukraine, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, May 2025
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