Width: 507mm

Height: 685mm

Depth: 2mm

Premium quality blue board (specially formulated cardboard)

1000 jigsaw pieces

Complex imagery

Decorative printed and textured paper (similar to our hardcover journals)

Since the 17th century, “Petrykivka” painting has been a common sight in the Cossack settlements of the Dnyepr River region of Ukraine. At that time, it was believed that beauty had the power to ward off malignant spirits. In Olena’s Garden, our series featuring Olena Skytsiuk’s paintings, you will encounter that same poetic loveliness that emerged from those Ukrainian hamlets. Named after the village where it has survived to this day, the Petrykivka style of painting was originally used by peasants to decorate the white-washed walls and interiors of their simple dwellings as well as furniture, kitchenware and other household objects made of wood. The most common motifs were flowers and berries, as well as symbolic figures of birds, animals and people. One peculiar element of this tradition was the use of fine brushes made of cat hair, which created the characteristic profusion of ever-so-delicate brush strokes you can see here. For a long time, Petrykivka painting remained a local folk craft, passed down from generation to generation without receiving much acknowledgment as an art form. The genre was on the verge of disappearing when, in 1936, a Petrykivka schoolteacher opened a school of decorative arts and invited one of the few remaining practitioners to train future artists. Gradually, qualified professionals became the guardians of this manner of painting.