This was not an ordinary workshop held by our fellow compatriot from Dnipro, Anna Congedo, who visited our cultural hub. A little later, Rona, the daughter of our new acquaintance Elvira, originally from Luhansk, joined our group. Elvira has been living in Kosovo for several years already and has even found her new home and family here. So, as they say, we gathered a true “international mix,” which made the event even more festive and sincere, because alongside Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, and Albanian were heard in the room.
It is important to note right away that this workshop was special, as it was dedicated to the fallen defenders of Ukraine. Before starting the creative work, memorial candles were lit in the room, a prayer was said for the repose of the souls of the fallen, and a minute of silence was observed. In that moment, everyone remembered their relatives, friends, and acquaintances who gave their most precious gift to their homeland — their lives.
Of course, I also remembered my son-in-law Yuriy Lenko, whose photograph, together with the photo of my grandson Kyrylo, hangs on the wall of my room. It felt as if he was looking at our gathering with his cheerful gaze and sincerely smiling…
Yuriy, in the first months of the war, volunteered to go to the front. His BMP crew was the first to enter the village of Klishchiivka near Bakhmut and liberated it from the occupiers. For this, he was nominated for an award… A few days later, a fierce battle took place, and Yuriy’s crew drew enemy fire upon themselves in order to save the lives of their comrades. He is buried in Lviv, but remains in the memory and hearts of his family, friends, and all grateful Ukrainians.
So, with prayer and a pure heart, the creative process began. Perhaps because our souls were filled with good feelings, everyone created their own unique painting with poppies — a symbol of Cossack bloodshed and mourning for fallen heroes.
Ms. Anna patiently explained how to apply watercolour to paper, in what sequence to build the composition, and how to layer the paint. As a result, all the paintings turned out bright and unique. Even I, a long-time colour-blind person, after this workshop created my first-ever watercolour painting. And my new young friend Rona helped me bring it to its final form. For this reason, she also left her autograph on my drawing.
Of course, we took photos as a memory. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to tender and delicious pancakes prepared by Tetiana for the occasion. There was a sweet table, tea, a wonderful mood, and, of course, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English, and Albanian songs filled the air — everything my dear guests enjoyed. So the celebration came to an end, but there are already ideas for the future, which I will not reveal for now. And when we gather again, I will certainly tell you about them.
Published based on materials from Facebook page of Volodymyr Martynov