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Ukrainian Art in the Park
By Jondi Gumz
Anew festival, Ukrainian Art in the Park, noon to 6 p.m Saturday, Aug. 26, two days after the Independence Day of Ukraine, at the Esplanade Park with art, music and “steppe” dance.
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The spark for this event is Natalia Aandewiel, an accomplished young artist who with her family fled their home in Ukraine when Russia began its assault in February 2022. Now her family is in America, safe from the war, thanks to a couple who lives in Mount Hermon.
Natalia shared her story with Scotts Valley Times.
She has an impressive collection of paintings created here: Capitola Village, Capitola Wharf (before the storm broke it), ocean scenes of Pleasure Point and West Cliff Drive, and the trails at Fall Creek.
Now 27, she was identified as gifted in art at age 10.
She attended a special school where three days were devoted to art instruction, and three days to other subjects.
She was able to bring only one work of art with her-- one that hangs prominently in her current home in Aptos. This depicts Ukrainian Steppe, three couples clearly engaged in joyful movement.
Her family lived in Ivano-Frankivsk, near Kyiv.
Natalia said her family has no relatives in the U.S. but she had met Peter and Janet Payne at a three-day Christian conference in Germany in 2014. Peter had retired from the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and he and Janet started the Institute for Credible Christianity, traveling to Europe to help students follow Jesus.
Natalia gave the Paynes one of her watercolors and kept in touch for two years.
That communication had paused when out of the blue, four months before the war, she got an email asking: How are you doing?
Janet had found her website http:// www.nataliaaandewiel.com with her email and reconnected.
“It’s all God’s grace and care for us,” Natalia said.
When the Russians attacked, Natalia thought it would last a week. Her family stayed with friends. The war did not end, and the family escaped to Poland.
Janet called: “If you need a place, come to us.”
Natalia said, “We feel such love from them.”
“Natalia Aandewiel” page 8
