Perched in the shadow of Prince Albert’s Pyramid, Oksana Kosova carefully sketches the surrounding landscape.
The historic cairn can be found on Balmoral Estate in Royal Deeside, where Oksana sits on a folding yellow chair – intent on capturing the soft greens and dappled sunlight.
Her husband of 24 years, who she has not seen since April 2022, is hundreds of miles away.
But still, she draws in the hope of turning the scene into a beautiful watercolour.
Colour is a huge part of who Oksana is – even the yellow hue of her seat is a nod to her national flag and all she has left behind, and everything she vows to return to.
The bright shade goes some way to representing the national flag of Ukraine, before Oksana had to abandon all that was familiar and start again.
Indeed when she made the decision to leave her home town in the north of Ukraine, not far from the Russian border, she packed few belongings.
A scant selection of clothes, precious jewellery and her beloved paints and brushes.
Having made it to Poland via train, she travelled to Edinburgh before ending up in the north-east.
From living in a hotel and speaking no English, Oksana is now trying to carve out a life in an Aberdeenshire village.
We are not disclosing her location, as she is still fearful for her safety following her experiences.
Oksana’s stunning watercolours are currently on display at Studio One in Banchory, and the gentle depictions of nature are all the more remarkable given her journey thus far.
Your Life caught up with her and found out why one day, she will return to her home country in a bid to rebuild.
‘Painting is part of me’
Oksana gently shushes the bounding Labrador, who is intent on investigating my arrival.
He belongs to the family who she has been staying with as part of the Scottish Government’s Super Sponsor Scheme – a family she has become very much part of.
They take it in turns to cook, and Oksana delights everyone with her homemade Borscht, a soup recipe which of course hails from Ukraine.
We sit down at the large kitchen table, and Oksana hesitates before speaking in halting English.
She worries her grasp of the language is not quite good enough, when she is in fact doing so well in her command of words which must sound strange and alien.
“It was my father who taught my sister and I how to paint; he had his own exhibitions,” says Oksana, her pale blue eyes searching the notes she has painstakingly typed out.
“When I left Ukraine, I only took a few clothes with me, some jewellery including this necklace.”
She gently touches the ornate piece which drops beneath her collarbone – the style a reminder of her culture, her belonging.
“I also packed my paint brushes, my portfolio.
“Painting is part of me, it is who I am.”
Oksana recalls working for the State Border Service in Ukraine for more than 20 years – all the more poignant as the country battles to defend its frontier.
“I was forced to give up the job because of my health, but I had never stopped painting,” she says.
“I took part in joint exhibitions in different cities and in Kyiv.”
Oksana went on to help organise masterclasses as part of a local initiative, and also made mouth-watering sourdough bread alongside beautiful bags.
Leaving behind life in Ukraine
But everything changed when war commenced.
“My town of Novgorod-Siverskyi is located in the north of Ukraine, not far from the border with Russia, so it was quickly surrounded by Russian troops,” says Oksana.
“The roads were cut off, the bridges around were blown up.
“After the invaders left the north of Ukraine thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian military, the residents of my city and the surrounding villages still did not feel safe, because the shelling continued.
“In May, two rockets blew up two schools in the city, one of them exploded not far from my house.”
Oksana made the incredibly hard decision to leave, whilst her husband stayed behind and rejoined the military – following a career as a military officer.
Determined to keep painting, she has since found inspiration in Royal Deeside, alongside the north-east coast.
Learning the local language
“I take my yellow chair everywhere, but it has been harder during the winter,” says Oksana.
“I loved my time in Scotland so far, it’s such a beautiful place.
“The sea, the castles, there is inspiration everywhere and I love painting still life as well.”
Oksana currently has five paintings on display at Studio One in Banchory, and is now determined to become fluent in English – or should we say Scots.
“I’ve found learning English quite difficult,” she says.
“I never spoke English when I was in Ukraine, but I go to college now so I’m learning.”
Learning she certainly is, and Oksana hopes to hold another exhibition in the coming months.
But with every brush stroke, she’s determined that she will be able to return to her family and her home.
“I do want to return to Ukraine eventually, who knows when,” says Oksana.
“It’s important that we rebuild, we start again.”
Conversation