10 Amazing Artists In Ukraine You Can Support Right Now

For this month's art roundup I thought it'd be fitting to highlight some indie artists from Ukraine - and since I fell down the rabbit hole, you get about twice as many as my usual art roundups, awww yeah. (I had to force myself to stop; so much great art!)

I did my best to only feature artists who currently live in Ukraine, so we can support folks on the ground who need it most. This took some detective work, since there's a lot of hashtag misuse out there (grrr). That also means some of these artists' home feeds will include disturbing imagery of destruction from the war. Just a heads up.

Many of today's artists have digital downloads available, so we can purchase their work and support them even while they're not able to ship physical products. I'm also including some artists who don't have digital options, because 1) their art is incredible and I want you to see it, and 2) even just following on Instagram is a form of support, a way to say, "We see you." So please, follow and send supportive messages to your favorites here! Virtual hugs still count.

Beginning with Alexandra of @DogArtae:

Her colored pencil pet portraits are INCREDIBLE,  y'all.

Alexandra is a young mom, and her IG feed right now includes her kids smiling in a make-shift bomb shelter.

The good news is Alexandra has fled Ukraine and is currently safe in Poland, where she's doing her best to continue working. You can still order commissions and prints, but for now I'd recommend purchasing her digital downloads instead. Head to Alexandra's Etsy shop to see all of her digital options like these:

*****

Next, Valentyna of @valli.d:

Her art has a sweet storybook style:

Valentyna created a poster we can purchase and download digitally to help support her:

 It's an instant download on Etsy, click over to see.

*****

Daniel of @daniel.skripnik has been painting sunflowers to show support for his home:

According to his IG profile, Daniel is currently in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Daniel doesn't have any shop links that I can find, but if you check his Story highlights he has donation links to places like Unicef and others to support the Ukraine defenses.

*****


Valeriya of @creative.market_kamelkova sculpts the most delightfully creepy/cute creatures, like this mandrake monster with a hinged jaw & tongue:



AMAZING. And she has so many more fun creatures!


Since she can't ship right now, Valeriya is offering these equally delightful digital prints:

Head to her Etsy shop to browse all her digital offerings, including some fun pinata tutorials.

*****

Lissa NZar of @nzar_art has a stunning Art Nouveau style, look how lovely:

Her profile claims her commissions are open, but I can't find any online shop links. Give her a follow on Instagram, though, and you can explore her other social media accounts. Hopefully she'll add a digital purchase or donation option soon.

*****


 Dyvooo is a Ukrainian art & clothing brand:

 I believe Alena is the artist there, and she's turned many of their designs into digital offerings in their Etsy shop:

My favorite is the racoon. So good.

Check out all the digital options here in Alena's "Healthy Linen" Etsy shop.

*****

Taisiia K of @taisiia.k.art is in Kosiv, Ukraine, and paints photo-realistic digital portraits:

Taisiia is an art student, so no shop links, but I do hope they add a purchase option for this one, at least:

Most of the artists I'm featuring here have very very few followers, by the way, so remember that even when we can't purchase something, following and commenting matters.

*****

Olha of @olhaarts sculpts jaw-dropping dragon eggs like this:

And also jewelry like this:

From her recent captions it seems Olha now spends her time creating molotov cocktails instead of cute creatures. Talk about sobering. I... I don't have words.

Olha has a digital download section in her Etsy shop stocked with adorable dragon coloring pages and a print or two:

Click over to browse and purchase.

*****

Svetlana from @vividstitchshop creates beautifully intricate floral embroideries:

Svetlana lost her home in the bombings and is apparently sheltering in an apartment with no windows or heating. You can help support her by purchasing her .pdf patterns on Etsy:

Head to the Vivid Stitch Shop to browse all of Svetlana's patterns available for digital download.

*****

Polina Albertina may be my favorite new artist find today:

I love her color choices, and this illustrated manuscript page is just so, so pretty:

The text reads "How Many Stars Did You Conquer Before The Skies Fell?"

And the title of this one is "They Tried To Bury Us, But We Were Seeds."

No shop links listed (sob), but do follow Polina for more amazing art.

*****

This list is only the tiniest tip of an enormous iceberg, my friend, and I hope it inspires you to browse and purchase more great Ukrainian art. Again, there's a lot of hashtag misuse on Instagram, so do your research; too many non-Ukrainian artists and companies are adding tags like "UkrainianArtist" to get seen or make a profit, which makes me... rather grumpy.

Happily there's a better way on Etsy to filter out the scammers:

If you don't have time to browse but still want to help, consider donating to a reputable charity. Personally I've given to Care.org (based on the recommendation of SharonSaysSo) and International Rescue Committee, which is on the ground in Poland helping Ukrainian refugees. I know there are lots of great charity options, though, so feel free to share your favorites in the comments - plus more Ukrainian artists we can follow!

On a personal note, my goal today was to show you hope, not despair. The Ukrainian people are a defiant spark of hope in darkness, and I want us to carry that spark with us this week. When the news and the darkness threatens to overwhelm, hang on. Fan the spark. Buy some art. Together we can help light and right prevail.

Also I love you and it's OK to take a break. Promise. Here, have a squeezey hug for the road:

{{HUUUUUG}}