What's your connection to horses?
Horses are a part of my life. They are a part of who I am, and they have fundamentally changed everything about me over the last 20 years. I moved from the city to the countryside solely for them. I currently own three horses, and they are not just animals to me, they are family members, my children, and my friends. Horses are also my personal zone of constant growth. Being with them makes me feel both grounded and free. It’s a huge responsibility, but thanks to it, I feel that my life is real and meaningful. We mostly work using liberty techniques, focusing on trust exercises and in-hand work. Sometimes we ride through the surrounding fields, but more often we simply play, learn tricks, and try to be happy.
Why the horse topic in your art?
Horses have always captivated me with their fierce energy. There is something wild, primordial, and very ancient about them, like a memory of times when the earth was freer and less urbanised. When I look into a horse’s eyes, I feel a connection to generations and times long past. This is what I try to convey in my paintings: a sense of depth, freedom, and strength. For me, horses in art are about energy, expression, and movement, something very powerful and authentic.
What's your art form?
I primarily paint horses using oil on canvas, and I also create graphic works using ink and watercolor. Additionally, I create stylized digital illustrations of horses, which is part of the illustrative direction of my work, as my main profession is illustrating children's books.
How has war changed your work?
The war has changed me as an artist radically. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, I have almost lost the ability to paint horses. I have created only one oil painting, a few watercolors, and some graphics in almost four years. For the first year, I could only draw the war itself; my emotional responses, reflections on specific events, deaths, shellings, and the evacuation of people and animals. I created over 300 war illustrations about these experiences.
It is currently difficult for me to return to equestrian creativity because it seems to have lost its meaning. I was completely thrown off balance by what is happening; I was overwhelmed that such terrible things are happening in my home country in the 21st century. At one point, I even felt that art was inappropriate, that I should be doing something more practical for victory or even just for survival.
But I cannot abandon my animals. I have a son, three horses, and other rescued animals; essentially, I run a small shelter. So, my mission now is to save them, and sometimes take in animals evacuated from front-line zones by my zoo-volunteer friends, and try to find them new families, including in Europe. During the full-scale invasion, I was able to rehome about two dozen animals abroad.
Currently, I work mainly as a children’s illustrator, creating books for Ukrainian publishers, mostly those that help children process the war experience, acting as 'fairytale therapy' for them. But I really miss the part of me that used to paint horses. That free, inspired creativity, unburdened by reality. I dream that after our victory, I can fully return to it. Because painting horses is a part of who I am, a part of my life that I want to revive."
