olha pryymak

Here is the second of three paintings I’ve made while in Ukraine this Easter. Here the beekeeper (my dad actually) is going in to see how the colonies fared during the winter. The moment of truth: he will now find out whether his colony has survived the winter. When it did not, unfortunately it is usually for many other reasons rather then the cold temperatures. Lots of bees, and incests too to this account, die of disease,  particularly a lot from little known Colony Collapse Disorder. There is no known treatment for it yet. After the day’s inspection though, it looked like our bees did fairy fine this winter, phew.

2008 oil on gessoed board 15×15 cm, commission

2008 oil on gessoed board 15×15 cm, commission

Have I shared with you  the awesome illustrations by Jason Das?

2008 oil on gessoed board 15×15 cm, commision

While in Kyiv a few days back,  I stopped by in one the branches of Kyiv’s best boutique Nebesa on Mezhygirska 8, and another one on Pushkinska st. They frequently update their art exhibits, most recent is by Oksana Shapkarina with her cute elephants.

2008 oil on board 24×18 cm, commission

Another view with the previous picture. The two actually merge together.  Dad’s Lada is the focus point here and some barns at the back. The farm is surrounded by tall pine trees at the back, while facing the fields at the front. The latter can be my next subject!

2008, oil on board, 24 x 18 cm, commission

Today we enjoyed a long morning at the bee farm. Perfect day for a good old landscape painting. The cottage and the pole with directions looked most picturesque.

2008 oil on gessoed board 7×7 inches

SOLD

Summer in full swing and I have not visited my farm  outside of Lutsk just yet. Feel very sad and looking for tickets to come home soon. There is a proper water pump there by the way, even if no tap, it gets used so rarely though, that well still seems to be the optimal choice for getting water. The water in it is tasty and soft, since there is tons of clay in the ground. Lots of potters used to dig up their clay in the woods nearby until very recently.

This painting is part of my post-Soviet series.

14.10.08 update: this picture has been selected for the Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall galleries in London on November 12th, 2008.