‘Eyes of War — Eyes of Hope’: Santa Barbara Art Fundraiser for Ukrainian Refugees
Rich Wilkie Turns Paintings into Relief
Last year, animator-turned-portrait-artist Rich Wilkie made it his mission to paint 100 portraits of Ukrainian refugees. Now, he’s finally reached his goal and all 100 of his paintings will be on display to the public as a fundraiser, titled Eyes of War — Eyes of Hope, at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) from August 15-18, with a reception on the final day from 4-8 p.m.
“I focus on expressing emotions and movement in a still image. I painted like this for about a year when Russia invaded Ukraine and images of terrified refugees flooded the media,” Wilkie said. “These children had so much pathos in their faces, I had to paint them.”
For Wilkie, having the proceeds of his art go toward helping Ukrainian refugees felt right, but organizing it was another hurdle.
