Photo courtesy of Yana Verba. Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukrainian artist and OCAD University graduate, Yana Verba, mixes architectural lines with deeply emotional perspectives in her paintings. The late artist, Christo , was fond of her work and purchased one of her pieces! Recently, she left her home, near San Francisco, to visit Ukraine.

Dnipro has been bombed numerous times since your arrival (often at night) and yet you chose to stay. How are you? Why haven’t you left??

I'm here. I'm breathing. I'm alive. I am slowly getting used to this atrocity, even though it is NOT ok, and I hope the world never gets used to this war. When air raid alarms go off at night if feels the most unsettling. It's dark and quiet outside, and then this blaring siren that shocks you. Your body and mind understand that the threat is very real and you are not sure if you'll make it till dawn. But these Russian Terrorists don’t understand that the Ukrainian people are united and undefeatable. I see and feel this strength daily in people’s eyes on the streets. I'm very proud of everyone who is standing up against Russian aggression, in every possible way. I am here to visit, support and spend every minute of my trip with my family. So no, I’m not leaving until I’m done visiting.

How was your day today? What did you do?

Thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I managed to have a normal day (without explosions). I enjoyed my cup of coffee and visited the art museum of Dnipro. Unfortunately, the main art collection has had to be stored and hidden in a safe place. Only the empty painting frames were on the walls. It was a weird experience.

Dnipro, Ukraine.

What recent art piece of yours would you like to share with us and why?

"Klee's Angels Are in Kyiv Now" is a series of three paintings. It is the last body of work that I did before my trip to Ukraine. One of the paintings are now on display in The Berkeley Art Museum in California. It came out of ruminations of life and death.