Anatolii Tarasiuk and his family escaped the war in Ukraine last year with dozens of his oil paintings. His experience inspires him to paint new works.
DELIBERATE ACTS OF KINDNESS
How a Ukrainian artist and his family found a new beginning in the Triangle Words and Photography by A nna-Rh es a Vers ola
krainian artist and refugee Anatolii and young sons, including an infant, born in May 2022. She admired Tarasiuk, 45, says he owes his Anatolii’s fighting spirit, even when his body was weakened by the chemo life, and the lives of his family, and radiation treatments he was receiving at Duke Cancer Center. to many caring people, including Becky featured Anatolii’s abstract expressionism art at her Becky Woodruff, owner of gallery and shop at University Place from April 6 to May The Frame & Print Shop in 31 and plans to exhibit his work again in the fall. “Because FAVORITE Chapel Hill. of the exhibition, I sold some pieces of art,” Anatolii says, picture framing “I met her, and it changed smiling with pride. “It’s like it was finally an open door. services everything,” Anatolii says. Becky Before, it was all closed. I met Becky, and everything just marveled at the 45 original oil unlocked from that moment.” paintings Anatolii saved during Through Becky, another kind person provided Anatolii Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. with free studio space inside the Eno Arts Mill in She sensed his optimism despite the stress Hillsborough, allowing him to focus on creating more art to of escaping the repeated bombings with his wife sell at exhibitions and through his Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/ 58
chapelhillmagazine.com
July/August 2023