Ghosts of Kyiv

This piece didn’t start with a headline. It didn’t even start with intent. It started like most ghosts do—quietly, under the surface. As the war in Ukraine unfolded, this work took shape without knowing what it was trying to say. Only when the paint dried did it speak: Ghosts of Kyiv.

It’s not a political piece. It’s a human one. A visual echo of strength, grief, and quiet, unshakeable hope. The fractured shapes of home, the horizon like a pulse, the stillness above and below—this is what memory feels like when it’s under siege.

The gold leaf was never decorative. It was a declaration. That beauty still finds its way through ash. That hope has weight. The resin, poured like armour, seals in that resilience—the kind you don’t choose, but live anyway.

This one haunted me before I knew its name. Now it just won’t let go.

Details

Technique:

Mixed media on wood panel. Acrylic, gold leaf, and resin. The base evolved intuitively, with brushwork layered against emotional tension. The gold was added last, once meaning had surfaced. The high-gloss resin serves as both protection and a mirror, inviting viewers to see themselves reflected within the story.

Dimensions:
24″ x 36″

Date:
2025

Ghosts of Kyiv in livingroom
Applying gold leaf to painting
Gold leaf in a bowl