About an undiscovered talent...

Nature has given each of us many abilities that we may never have suspected, until suddenly, under some circumstances, a previously undiscovered talent awakens. There comes a moment when we begin to share this new skill with the world around us and often surprise everyone, especially our family, close friends, acquaintances and neighbours… That is when the question arises: where did you get such a talent? And you yourself cannot explain where from. Of course, they say talent comes from God, but also from nature and from our parents; it was hidden somewhere, perhaps in your distant ancestors, and now it has awakened in you…

Be that as it may, abilities we never knew we had begin to serve our hearts well, fill our souls and bring vital energy with them, and give the people around us beauty and the joy that comes from it…

That is exactly what happened to the heroine of our story, Valentyna Tkachuk. You may remember that last June we already told you about Valia… back then we met a woman working abroad who did quite hard physical work on an Estonian farm – she milked cows to earn a living and supported her family in Ukraine.  

Between milking, cleaning and other necessary jobs in and around the cowshed, there was a chance to rest a little… And it was in these moments of rest, to keep her hands and mind busy, that our Valia took up – what do you think? Drawing… she bought a sketchbook and a set of pencils and began creating the pictures that took shape in her head…

All around was beautiful nature – a forest, a river, babbling water and singing birds that reminded her of Ukraine…

Picture after picture, artistic scenes were created, mostly full of flowers, but also characters from favourite cartoons and pets…

After some time Valia had to leave Estonia, as the visa period of her stay in Europe had ended.

At home in the Vinnytsia region, Valia did not forget her newborn passion, and day by day a whole gallery of pictures came to life.

Our heroine shared this collection with me on messenger, which surprised me – not to say shocked me…

“What, you’ve never painted before, never studied this art?” I asked in amazement.

“No, never. Just when I was in Estonia and came home from work and didn’t know what to do with myself, I once bought a children’s sketchbook, paints and brushes. That’s how it came...” was the reply…

Now Valia returns to her new passion more persistently every day, broadening the range of subjects and colours, and so real paintings are born…

Valia is very afraid of harsh criticism from professional artists, since she has no idea how a picture should properly be made and works purely by her inner feeling.

We decided to tell you about our heroine’s passion – or rather a new page in her life – on the eve of Artist’s Day, which in Ukraine is celebrated on the second Sunday of October.

Of course, our heroine does not claim to call herself an artist, as only the professional guild can accept or reject a master into its circle. It would be enough for our heroine to have her talent recognised by the people around her, her friends and acquaintances.

For our part, we sincerely wish our Valia Tkachuk unfading creative inspiration that would lead her to the ranks of true masters called artists – and, who knows, perhaps the time will come when people will call Valentyna Tkachuk a well-known folk artist.

All the more so since the profile picture on Valentyna Tkachuk’s Facebook page bears the words: “Great changes will soon take place in your life. Be ready for happiness! You have been through enough – it is time for change...”                 

May it be so, dear Valia – we all wish you that!

We present to you, dear reader, just a part of the works of Valentyna Tkachuk from the town of Ladyzhyn in the Vinnytsia region. 

Your attention and thoughts about Valentyna’s pictures will be both interesting and useful to her!