Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Esther Franchuk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Esther, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My latest fine art collection “Wings and Visions” is the most meaningful project I was ever working on. The paintings in this series are a reflection of my cultural heritage. They depict women with wings incorporating narratives from Ukrainian symbolism and mythology.
The idea for the collection started with one painting – “Birthright” that I created competing on the “Outstanding Artist” reality show in USA last year. In one of the challenges we were supposed to depict ourselves as a legend incorporating our cultural background to tell a story.
Back then I was still struggling a lot to connect to my roots. I didn’t know a lot about my heritage. I was born in post Soviet times, where there was no such thing as cultural identity.
Through working on these paintings I experienced a lot of healing and reconciliation with my nation. I started to see the history, costumes and language of my people as something really personal and meaningful. I was able to dive deeper learning about my true roots and seeing of how being Ukrainian is my strength and not weakness.
Coming back from the show and moving forward in my career, I felt an urge in my heart to paint Ukrainian motives again. I was painting women in traditional costumes spreading their arms as they become wings. It was November 2021 where the first 10 paintings of the collection were finished. 3 month later the war started in Ukraine. I started to think back to the pieces I made and their names were just ringing in my head over and over again: “Fortified”, “We Are The Kingdom”, “Wings Of The Dawn”, “Refuge & Strength”. Those paintings I did back then were highly prophetic. I painted hope, beauty and refuge even before it was needed.
My whole life went upside down due to war. And even though my family and friends were able to flee the country and were safe, I felt hopelessness, pain and anger overtaking my heart like never before. I was heartbroken about the thousands of people loosing their lives and my country being destroyed. It was hard to start painting again. And like many Ukrainian artists I was tempted to depict darkness, death and suffering if I do paint.
Yet in the midst of it I realized that I don’t want this dark art to become my legacy or legacy of my country. I want Ukraine and its image to be known not by suffering and destruction, but by the inner strength, beauty and purpose. I want it’s voice to be heard and it’s destiny known to the world. I want the depths and beauty of the hearts of the people, their resilience and their faith to become something we are known for and I want this image of overcoming to set a standard for generations to come.
The next paintings of the collection alongside with the biggest piece of my whole career and the most personal one called “Prophesy Unseen” were born from a vision of hope and faith in greater things ahead. They are an expectation for what is yet unseen. Speaking light into the darkness. Bursting forth to give new life to a greater destiny of the nation which was already there from the beginning.
It’s about breakthrough and great awakening. It’s about strength that is not found in the reality and faith that is not based on circumstances. It’s about different vision. Vision that brings hope and beauty, restoration and healing. Its about future.
Each one of us wants to be known not by what happened to us, but who we truly are deep down in our core. And hope is what makes this visible to our hearts and empowers us to move forward in faith.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I don’t come from an artistic family so I always felt like a forerunner in this field. I loved drawing as a child but it wasn’t coming naturally to me in terms of a skill. I didn’t have a talent for it, so it was all about vision and perseverance. Since a really young age I wanted to become someone great. To become a person who could influence others with beauty and truth. And art looked like a great asset to do so. It led me to starting my journey of becoming professional artist at the age of 15 with enrolling in my first art college. There I was professionally trained in classical drawing & oil painting. It was a challenging season with ebbs and flows but it was a first step towards my dream and a great experience I will always treasure deeply.
After the graduation I moved to Western Ukraine and studied at Transcarpathian Art Academy for two more years learning about authentic Ukrainian art and folk crafts.
I was also given the opportunity to go abroad to be part of various art programs in the United States & Europe. One of the most life-changing experiences was taking the Mastery Program & studying at Milan Art Institute in USA. After it I was able to fully launch my career as a painter and start making a living out of it. I also started traveling even more to collect and gather inspirations from various cultures. I was driven to create artwork that would speak to everyone and empower many. Yet I was only truly able to find my artistic voice through connecting back to my roots & cultural heritage.
The Ukrainian theme brought my art to a whole another level and made me realize the power of art and creativity and how it could transform generations.
Since this year, me and my husband work together on my art business. We offer original oil paintings, sketches and fine art prints. Our mission is to bring beauty and transformation to the world through the visual art and the message behind it. We want the message of hope and beauty to be in every house around the world. Light is always stronger than darkness. We strive to be a light for the world that advocates for purpose, destiny and a better future.
We want to create something that will become part of the culture & will set standards for generations. Something that uplifts and inspires, that speaks straight to the depths of human hearts and brings hope & vision.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
On of the most rewarding aspects about being an artist for me is being able to communicate to others through art. To learn of how much this specific painting matters to the person, how it’s speaks into their own story. I love keeping record of all of the sweet messages people write to me of what my painting meant to them, how it spoke to their heart and what it made them feel. When someone connects to the painting so much, they want to own it and put in the their house to constantly look at it. I feel like it’s one of the most amazing feelings knowing something you created was meant to this specific person and they would treasure it forever. Another amazing facet is creativity itself. It is life-giving, because it seeks solutions and speaks to the potential instead of fear. And having hope and vision in the creative process is one of my favorite things about art.
While being creative you constantly deal with problem solving, you constantly deal with yourself and your emotions and you need to find a beautiful and healthy way to channel these emotions and this I believe is a gift of creativity to us and to me personally, by just having this space of constant growth and reflection on my own life. And then seeing how the struggles you overcome and vulnerability to share them through your art and your story makes room for others to deal with their own.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I see art as an asset & cultural inheritance, as a channel for beauty and truth. It’s a language to express the things you would never be able to express with words. It’s a way to process your pain and build hope within once again. It’s a way to study patterns and discoveries from the past and bring a different vision for the future. Good art inspires, good art uplifts, it speaks to the potential and it speaks simply by beauty. Artists are not the ones fighting on a battlefield but are the ones preserving the culture, ethnicity and authenticity of our nations. They pass it on from generation to generation so that it can tell the story of strength, dignity, resilience, hope and overcoming. Being an artist is setting your foot in a vision of tomorrow and being a beacon of hope for the world.
Being part of this movement and seeing heaven and earth collide for bigger purposes and awakening taking place among the nations is one of the most beautiful things about creative living and something that makes me push even harder through doubts, lies and challenges.
Because the victory in the end of the day is not just yours, it impacts generations. And that’s how we change the word, one painting, one story, one breakthrough at the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://estherfranchuk.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther_franchuk/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estheranastasiiafranchuk/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@esther-anastasiiafranchuka4152
Image Credits
Photography by Paul Hartwig