BELFAST — “Homeland” an exhibit of paintings of Babushkas by Lesia Sochor will be on display in the Kramer Gallery of the Belfast Free Library for the month of August 2024. The Kramer Gallery located on the ground floor of the library, 106 High St., is open during library hours.

In a news release, Sochor says of this exhibit: “Love of my ancestral homeland and horror and disbelief of the brutal invasion of Ukraine compelled me to paint images of Babushkas. This iconic symbol of a culture stirs memories of my mother, who in her later years wore one most every day. The images plead to have peace and freedom in their beloved country.”

Sochor’s grandson, Ewan Purinton, will have two of his Babuska drawings included in Kramer Gallery exhibit. Ewan, age 12, has been drawing since he could hold a pencil. Concurrently, his work will be exhibited in the teen room at the Belfast Library for the month of August.

The public is invited to a special reception and artist talk with Sochor on Tuesday, August 20, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the Kramer Gallery, with the talk at 6:30 p.m., in the Abbott Room.

For forty four years, Lesia Sochor has been a part of the artistic fiber of Waldo County where she has lived, created, exhibited, and taught. An interdisciplinary artist, she is primarily a painter who attended the Philadelphia College of Art earning a BFA in painting. She has exhibited in museums, universities, and galleries throughout New England and beyond.