Meet Ivanka, a Canadian-Ukrainian painting flowers over bullet holes

In the wake of the outbreak of hostilities in Eastern Ukraine, many buildings in the region were left pockmarked with bullet holes. For Ivanka, a Canadian-based Ukrainian woman, this was a painful reminder of the violence that had torn her homeland apart. So she decided to take action. Using a paintbrush and some bright acrylic paint, Ivanka began covering up the bullet holes with colorful flowers. It was a simple act, but it sent a powerful message of hope and resilience. By transforming something that was once a symbol of destruction into something beautiful, Ivanka is helping to bring some measure of healing to her war-torn homeland.

The project began a few weeks ago. I only painted 5 fences, but my hope is that the people of Bucha and other formerly occupied cities in Ukraine will continue this project further.

Someone commented on one of the posts “the paintings aren’t even good.” Believe me, I’m aware. But the point of this wasn’t to create masterpieces – it was to bring joy back into a city filled with darkness after the Russian occupation. It was a fun project, but a tricky one, as I had limited supplies (you know, due to war and all). I only had 5 small colours/jars of paint and 2 brushes – one of which broke half way through. The warm weather and direct sunlight made the fences incredibly hot, which made them difficult to paint; and the groves were a challenge all on their own.

I invited another volunteer to paint with me, but on day one, after seeing the conditions, she said “I can’t work like this! I don’t want my name attached to such poor quality” and left me to do the project alone. No problemo!

None of this is a complaint. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’m merely explaining what went on behind the scenes, and why these paintings aren’t masterpieces. I did the best I could with what I had, but most importantly I achieved my goal making Bucha’s citizens smile. The kind words and hugs I received each day from passers-by are ones I will carry with me until the day I die.

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