About

My work lives at the intersection of folk art and memory. I paint the objects that carried meaning before they could be named — the food, the embroidery, the decorated eggs passed from grandmother to granddaughter without explanation, because some things don't need one.

I've practiced pysanky for twenty-five years, grounded in the Ukrainian Byzantine tradition I inherited through my family and community. That practice taught me that pattern is a form of prayer, and repetition is how knowledge survives. I bring that understanding into my painting work, where traditional folk motifs meet contemporary acrylic on canvas, often integrated with real hand-stitched embroidery.

My current series, Baba's Table, documents the specific cultural world of my grandmother's household — the Byzantine Catholic heritage, the Slavic and Italian fusion of my parents' marriage, and the food memories that defined immigrant family life across generations. It is a record of a table that no longer exists, made by someone who still sets a place at it.

"The Hand of Mek" is inspired by a form of signature used by many Byzantine iconographers. The phrase reminds me that art is made through human hands, yet carries a responsibility beyond personal recognition. It reflects the values I hope to bring to my own work: craftsmanship, humility, and gratitude for the opportunity to preserve the stories entrusted to me.