Behind every unique work of art stands its own story. Our heroine, Oksana Sadovnyk, has two: one is about the warm and cozy world of handicrafts, the other is about a bold experiment with the gifts of nature. This artist from Ukraine combined her talent in creating Irish lace with an innovative approach to painting using bee propolis. We met with Oksana to find out what motivates her, how she managed to gain international recognition, and why she believes there should always be a place for creativity in life.
Oksana, how did you come to your passion for handicrafts and art?
Handicrafts accompanied me from childhood. All the women in my family were involved in it: they knitted with crochet hooks and needles, sewed, and embroidered. My mother taught me to crochet when I was five years old. Drawing was a favorite activity back in kindergarten, and later in school lessons.
How did you develop your methods of using propolis in painting? What exactly inspired this idea?
The idea of creating “aroma paintings” was inspired by the practice of beekeeping and the insufficient culture of consuming bee products. “Aroma paintings” are an alternative for those who have allergies to bee products but want to receive a healing effect from them.
Please tell us more about "aroma paintings." How do they affect the viewer? What emotions do you want to convey with your paintings?
“Aroma paintings” are an ecological type of art focused on health. Propolis releases phytoncides, and a person, by inhaling them, receives a healing effect. Thus, “aroma paintings” provide an opportunity to breathe medicinal substances and gain aesthetic pleasure from a work of art.
Working with propolis is difficult because you need to know how to collect it. While working with bees, you study nature, the meaning, and the value of all bee products. In work, propolis is quite temperamental and specific. The composition of this product is unique. Scientists still cannot artificially recreate it. The substance consists of 200 constant and 50–100 variable elements: resinous components, wax, essential and aromatic oils, flower pollen, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and bioflavonoids.
The reaction of viewers is mixed, as everyone is used to the fact that artists paint using paints.
What inspires you to create works in the technique of modern Irish lace?
I believe that everything that surrounds us inspires. In summer, the variety of flowers is the impulse for creating the painting “Summer,” the opportunity to recreate flowers in knitted motifs for the shawl “Succulent Summer” (prototypes of echinacea, zinnia, cosmos, forget-me-nots, and others). The leaves of plants and trees can also be embodied on canvas and in lace.
Do you have favorite works? Are they "aroma paintings" or decorative and applied art? Tell us more about these works.
The work that is being created is already a favorite: the thought-out composition, the plot, the color solution. “Aroma paintings” have their purpose, and works of decorative and applied art are unique in their own way.
I like to participate in collective projects (I am a participant in the International School of Irish Lace Lovers). The participants of the school have implemented many projects, including a unique collection of dresses called “4 Seasons.”
Have you encountered a creative crisis? How did you manage to regain strength and move forward?
What is called a creative crisis, I perceive as a break between lessons. It is an opportunity to perceive the world through new skills, to gain experience in another type of creativity. Do not fixate on this negativity. Realize yourself in something else. There is never too much creativity!
What exactly do you consider your greatest and most significant achievement?
Every participation in competitions, exhibitions, festivals, and masterclasses is an achievement, regardless of the result. Moving forward and believing in yourself leads to achievements.
What advice could you give to beginning artists and masters of decorative and applied arts?
The most important thing is the first step, the action that helps overcome your fear. Do not be afraid to show your skill, to talk about yourself. What you can do is your unique talent. Every master sees the world in their own way and embodies what they see. Do not be afraid to show yourself to the surrounding world.
You mentioned that you were interested in creativity since childhood. At what point did you realize that you wanted more: to declare yourself as an artist and monetize your work?
The understanding that I want more usually comes with the arrival of new information about something interesting. It is a feeling and a desire to try, to find out if I can do it, if I am capable.
Declaring myself as an artist happened gradually: as a painter—through participation in drawing competitions; as a craftswoman—through participation in festivals, exhibitions of products, and conducting masterclasses. The monetization of creativity was different: at first, these were requests to knit items of clothing or create interior items, and later, offers of cooperation regarding the search for customers and the sale of finished products appeared.
Do you manage to sell your works or receive orders today? Perhaps you know some hacks on how to monetize creativity?
As of today, there are no sales or orders. People often ask how much this or that product costs, but the buyer is not always ready to pay for manual labor.
Regarding hacks… One of the options is placing works in online galleries with a listed price. The second is active self-promotion.
Unfortunately, I still find the second point difficult.
You are developing very actively in creative directions and at the same time successfully combining this with work at a technical college. Please share your "tricks" that allow you to keep up with everything?
