Iryna Potapenko

I am an artist from Ukraine, the country where there is war. I feel really frightened but I keep on painting. Painting helps me stay alive and tell what is happening in my country. I want people to know and remember Ukrainians who are fighting evil to get their freedom back. But it hurts to see how civilians suffer – women, children, and elders. And I am going to try and go on painting

I live in Odessa - a city in a south of Urkaine - in a small cozy house. I like to paint in my garden or on the beach. For many years I have been drawing and painting for children, illustrating books and making cartoons. My hobby turned into a dream job. In my pictures I share my sunny mood and love with you. It's great to think that my works decorate other people's homes in different countries. It brings us all together.

For 10 years I had been working in studios "Hippopo" at Odessa Film Studio and "Barvin". I also took part in a series of projects "Auntie Owl's Lessons", "Petson and Findus" and others. I am currently working with ukrainian publishing houses - "Vivat", "Chas Maistriv", "Azbookvarik" and children's magazines. I took part in II and IV International Greenovsky Festival "The Scarlet Sailes" in Odessa in 2011 and 2013, and in a project of the charitible foundation "AVE" in 2013.
I am also a winner of the exibition COW ILLUSTRATION 2014 (TOP 10).
I took part in a Festival of Illustration in Odessa called "Illustrations fest" in Shustov Museum in 2015.
In october 2016 my first personal exhibition took place in a showroom of Bleschunov Odessamunicipal museum
of personal collections. In december 2017 my second ex...