Together Apart

Together Apart
Triptych Inspired by Ukrainian Folk Music & Art
 
This Limited Edition Archival Canvas Print is available as a set (full triptych) and/or individual panels.
16x16" 1 of 3 Panels/Individual (Nightingale, Fox OR United) Open Edition Archival Canvas Print, rolled, $185 + taxes
16x48" All Three Panels, Full Triptych Archival Canvas Print, rolled, $525 + taxes
 
This Triptych (painting across 3 panels) was commissioned by local musicians who are in the process of creating a Suite of original music inspired by recordings of their Ukrainian Grandmothers and other ancestors singing traditional folk songs. Each panel will be used as an album cover and I'm delighted to be part of their creative process.
 
I have really enjoyed exploring symbology in Ukrainian Folk Art and folk stories pertinent to the inspiration behind their music. There is a lot of depth to icons used in Ukrainian art.
 
We have taken traditional symbology and represented it in my geometric style to tell their story. 
 
The first panel features a Nightingale, which represents the love of song. I have him singing with all his might. Spirals represent the passage of time, so the two combined tells the story of traditional song coming from the past.
 
In the second panel, you can see an Oak Tree, considered a sacred tree of the Slavonic world, a symbol of life, of the sun, of eternity of being, of the age and structure of the universe. You can also see a fox, which is more symbolic in Northern Canadian First Nations and is seen as a messenger. I love that the fox can unite the messages of Ukrainian song with the Canadian present and future, expressed in new music.
 
In the third and final panel, the Nightingale is in flight. Birds in Ukrainian Folk Art, particularly those in flight or with outstretched wings, are often depicted as they represent freedom and the human soul's ability to move between the earthly and divine realms. This is another beautiful representation between the music inspired by their ancestors and their talented musical descendants. The fox has found peace in his new land and has joined the Nightingale to continue to pass on the messages in these important songs.
 
In the first and last panels you'll find hints of stylized sunflowers, the National flower of Ukraine. It signifies life, warmth, happiness, and a bountiful harvest.
Across all panels you can see wheat spikes, which are an ancient symbol in Ukrainian culture that distinguishes life, prosperity, and health. It represents the cycle of life which is important in this piece to link the story of the past, present and future. You'll also see Kalina (red berries) across all 3 panels. They represent resistance to political oppression and foreign domination, romantic love in folk songs and longing for the home land. All of which is resonates with the inspiration behind the music of these albums.
 
There's so much depth to this piece and I'm thrilled with how it turned out.
 
All prices are for rolled canvases. I offer canvas stretching/mounting for those who are able to pick up locally. Please contact me at the time of ordering to arrange this.
Stretching is an additional 20% of the print price, to be paid separately.