The woman you see in this picture is my mom.
Her name is Iryna.
She is the one who gave me my first art lessons, teaching me to see beauty in everything and to always see the world with the eyes of a child, no matter how old I am.
She is the one who taught me that I must always listen to my heart. Never abandon your heart, she said. Never abandon your dreams. You have the whole universe inside of you!
The woman you see is incredibly beautiful inside and out. She is also resilient and strong. I’m so proud to be her daughter! Growing up, I dreamed of being like her. She is my hero, my role model, she is my diamond.
On April 17th, 2022, at 4:30 am, she left her home in Kherson, Ukraine, and drove in an old car through fields and damaged roads without signs. She risked being shot because Russian soldiers would shoot civilian vehicles, even during green corridors. She never complained and trusted the journey crossing half the country to escape the terrors of war. I flew to Bucharest to meet her and brought her to Portugal, where she was given protection status.
I am setting up this page to help my mom as she starts her journey into a new life.
She came to Portugal with almost nothing to start from a blank page in a new country, working multiple physically demanding jobs simultaneously without knowing the language.
She’s incredibly persistent but fragile as she’s dealing with the painful trauma of being a war refugee. She still can’t sleep through the night. Her whole life has been thrown upside down in a matter of days. But she’s not giving up. I’m incredibly proud of her.
All proceeds from the sales of the pieces below will go to “Mom’s Fund.”
I want to support her in any way possible, so I put together this selection of works with all proceeds going directly to cover her rent and living expenses.
I want her to feel safe, adjust to her new life, help her find her feet, and increase her future opportunities without worrying about whether she will have enough money for rent next month.
You can also help directly through PayPal. My PayPal username is @evedevore
(please make sure to choose ‘send to friends and family)
During those months of volunteering and raising funds to help people in my country, I learned there are no small donations. Everything matters and makes a difference.
Please send my Mama good thoughts and love from your heart to hers; this is as precious as any other support.
Love, Eve
