i created this image in mid-february as it reflected my feelings and disappointment in the division i saw among my fellow americans, with a good amount of division outside of the boundaries of america as well. and then an event occurred to help unify much of the world and even many within my country. vladamir putin made the horrific decision to attack the nation of ukraine unprovoked. in so doing, he accomplished the opposite of his actual intentions - unifying the world, including many russians, against him with a fervor not seen in the world in quite some time.

however, it wasn’t merely the actions or intent of mr. putin that caused this reaction. the world has seen the incredible heart of the ukranian people. the world has seen an unbelievable spirit in people obviously overmatched in terms of military power, while overmatching their adversary in spirit, heart and courage. if you wanted to see an example of leadership, many will now point to president zelenskyy as one of the best examples. “i don’t need a ride, i need ammunition.” will likely be a phrase logged in the history books when the happenings of the current period are included in their writings. putin’s actions merely provided a stage for these incredible displays from the ukranians to be an incredibly needed unifying factor in both my country and the world.

and for that, i applaud you ukraine!

i’m offering this in an edition of one 8.6 x 24 inch print, to celebrate the uniqueness of the ukranian people. there will be no other prints of this image made or sold, nor will there be any artists proofs. profits will go to voices of children, a ukranian organization that helps children in ukraine deal with the effects of war, (since 2015) particularly through art. as a recovering alcoholic, i’ve learned one of my shortcomings was dealing with and processing my emotions while never having a healthy outlet to express my emotions. i’m happy to say that photography and art have provided me with that outlet. and this is exactly what voices of chiildren is providing the children of ukraine who have had to deal with the emotional stresses of war since 2014, while a new generation of children will also find its struggles in that area.