Artist's moving tribute to Ukraine's 'resilience'

Louise Pasterfield aims to tell stories and give hope through her paintings

An artist who felt compelled to act in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created a watercolour exhibition in tribute to the country's resilience.

Dubbed Portraits of Resilience, Louise Pasterfield's exhibition at Truro Cathedral features what she describes as the "faces of Ukraine".

Ms Pasterfield said her endeavour began with a portrait of Valentina, a Ukrainian whose back yard had just been hit by artillery - captured by New York Times photographer Lynsey Addario.

Her watercolour version made an impact on Instagram, she said, and sparked an unexpected wave of people from Ukraine sending photographs and requesting she paint them.

Ms Pasterfield says she looks to 'amplify inherent emotions' through her portraits, which are inspired by photographs sent from Ukraine

"One woman sent me a photo that she took of her two-year-old daughter on the second day of the war," said Ms Pasterfield.

"It was taken in the basement of their house in the Kharkiv region.

"They had no electricity, no heating, no water, and outside, the Russian army was all around them.

"In the photograph, her daughter is painting by candlelight, wrapped up against the cold.

“Other people have sent me photos of family members who have died in the war.

"One woman sent me a photo of her father who died near Bakhmut, asking me if I could paint it. That was very moving.”

Louise Pasterfield says part of her aim is to "give hope"

Ms Pasterfield has painted 200 portraits over move than two years, and said people from Ukraine have thanked her for "not forgetting".

She spotted a video on social media of one of the defenders of Mariupol being reunited with his wife after he was released from Russian captivity.

Her painting of the couple, inspired by the short clip, brought this message from the woman: “You have painted one of the most important moments of my life.”

She added: “It wasn’t about copying the photographs; it was about seeing something else.

"When you stare at a photograph for 14 hours, you begin to see different things.

"I choose ones where I think I can bring something new and amplify the inherent emotions.”

She said her goal was to make people "aware of what's happening", to "tell stories" - but also to "give hope".

Some of her paintings were featured online by Vogue UA, Elle UA and Ukraine Artists on Instagram.

The exhibition of 50 paintings is at Truro Cathedral from 17 to 27 August, coinciding with Ukrainian Independence Day on 24 August.