Sunflowers mean Ukraine
A short Monday letter.
Hello dear friends! I’m back from the social media and internet break! Whenever I take such breaks, I’m always amazed how a few weeks at a slower pace and with filtered information can clear the mind and help restore the balance. I left tired, overwhelmed, and creatively exhausted – and came back recharged, calm, and full of ideas for ongoing and future projects. I hope to be able to keep this feeling for as long as I can.
During the break, I watched the latest season of a popular American show on home renovations. The owner of one of the houses was a woman born in Ukraine. She mentioned that having a house in Ukraine was not an option, subtly implying the ongoing Russian invasion, and emphasized how much her house in the U.S. meant to her. The renovation team did beautiful design and repairs, but what caught my attention was that they ordered a special custom-made stained glass from a local artist. When the artist heard that the house’s owner was from Ukraine, she said: “I’ll add sunflowers to the composition because they symbolize Ukraine and will remind the owner of their home and heritage.” Then, when the glass was installed, one of the contractors walked in and exclaimed: “Oh, sunflowers! It’s for Ukraine!” At this point, I got emotional. Just a few years ago, very few people would think of sunflowers as a symbol of Ukraine. Now, it is on American television, and people of different ages and backgrounds have this association: sunflowers mean Ukraine. I think it is so beautiful.
This story reminded me that I did two gouache paintings of sunflowers back in 2022. They are available to download in my Etsy shop as ready-to-print digital files. You can view them here:
On Saturday, as part of my weekly essay series, I will share a story of one of my favorite Ukrainian artists. Her paintings are magical and full of color, and I hope more people will learn about her work. It always upsets me how little is known about artists, writers, and talented people from Eastern Europe, as if they didn’t exist at all. I hope to change that by sharing their stories in my newsletter.
In one of the recent essays, I shared the story of a Belarusian poet, Larysa Hienijuš. If you missed it, you can read it and listen to a recording of me reading her poem in Belarusian here:
It's good to be back. Talk to you soon!
Warmly,
Darya
Email: daryazorka@substack.com
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Nice to have you back, rested and recharged. I’ve been planting sunflowers over the last week (southern hemisphere springtime 🌻), a visual representation of my support for Ukraine which is how I always think of them now!
Sunflowers never used to mean much to me. They were just there. Now they're Ukraine and hope and courage and resolve and incredible bravery.