Russia’s invasion of Ukraine deeply affected community artist Laura Hamilton, who decided to express her emotions by creating a painting that could support Ukraine financially and in spirit.
“I started this painting on the first day of the invasion (on Feb. 24) … . I was watching the news and I just felt so much devastation and had no words,” Hamilton said. “And … painting helps me to deal with those deep emotions. So, as I was painting this picture, my thoughts continued to wander and think about Ukraine and all the people fleeing at that time.”
It took Hamilton two days to complete her painting, which features a young woman in a purple dress standing on a wooden dock looking at a small lake surrounded by trees. Hamilton noted that all her work features “whimsical female characters” in bright, colourful dresses.
“I personally love it. There’s so much emotion and feeling in it,” she said. “It just says so much about what life is like without war.”
The artist knew she needed a name for the piece, while that name needed to reflect Ukraine and its people. So, she began searching for suitable monikers and, while keeping an ear to the news, heard about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska.
“And so I thought, ‘That’s it! This is the name I have to pick,’” Hamilton recalled. “Olena means ‘shining light.’ So that’s how she got her name. And then when I posted on … social media this story, people were really taken with it.”
By creating a painting of a woman standing on a dock overlooking the water in a peaceful and calm setting, Hamilton says that is her prayer for the besieged country, that it regains its freedom and that the war would be over.
The “Olena” painting came together quickly, which, when that happens, meant Hamilton was laser-focused on the creation. Creating a painting in two days was fast for the artist — and likely a personal record time.
Not only did Hamilton create the painting in record time, but she also sold it just as quickly — on Feb. 28.
“So many people are just feeling (horrified) right now,” she said.
Later, as she was scrolling through social media, she saw other artists making and auctioning off creations and donating the money to support the embattled Eastern European country. She realized she could do the same with her “Olena” painting, so she sent a digital copy of the artwork to a business partner in Ontario, who re-created the image on canvas.
After receiving the copy, Hamilton updated the picture by adding a string of sunflowers — Ukraine’s national flower — to the back of the woman’s head. She also added further brush strokes and her name.
Hamilton is now raffling off the enhanced limited-edition painting as part of an “Olena for Ukraine Humanitarian Effort” project. Tickets are $20 and can be found on the artist’s website at laurahamiltonart.com.
The raffle runs until Friday, March 25, while Hamilton will pick a winner on March 26.
All proceeds will go toward the Canadian Red Cross.
