As a late holiday gift, Savannah seniors will have the opportunity to enjoy a special artist in January, Oksana Gruzska Harmouche.

Her work will be exhibit at the Jewish Educational Alliance- bring some friends and enjoy this wonderful Savannah
senior activity together.

Sometimes great artists have great personal stories – often of tragedy that inspires an artistic passion.

Artist Oksana Gruszka Harmouche is such an artist.

Oksana’s earliest memories are of being two years old and trapped inside a body cast in a Ukrainian hospital. She spent the next three years immobilized in a hospital bed. The nurses took pity on her and gave her paper and pencils to help pass the time. She learned to escape the hospital with her imagination and her art.

At five, Oksana’s cast was replaced with a brace. With no strength in her legs, she had to be carried home by her father.

At school, all Oksana’s teachers noted her exceptional talent in art. At eight she auditioned for and was admitted to the Children’s School of Arts in Ternopril, Ukraine.

Can you imagine? In our country it is so rare to separate children and parents no matter how gifted they are. In many other countries the importance of nurturing a child’s gift is placed over our key value – preserving the nuclear family dynamic whenever possible.

Savannah seniors will appreciate this opportunity to see the kind of art that is born in this environment. Right? Wrong? Who can say- the art is certainly something special.

When Oksana graduated from the prestigious art program, she had two degrees: her high school diploma and a degree in Art. She continued her studies and received her degree in Art and Architecture in 1990.

Oksana worked as an architect for 15 years; first in Ukraine, then in the U.S. When the economy slowed, she returned to her passion for painting.

While Oksana was growing up in Ukraine, it was isolated from the outside world. Fashion was in a vacuum. From the first time she saw an Italian Vogue, she was in love with the beautiful colors, patterns and styles. The fashion of Vogue strongly influences her subject matter as an artist.

No matter the medium, Oksana always focuses on fine detail. The beauty, fragility and strength of women and flowers are recurrent themes in her work. Her paintings express her feelings that we should work to regain harmony with our surroundings.

Take advantage of this exhibit as an educational Savannah Senior activity – enjoy and be inspired.

 Oksana uses a technique developed by the Flemish masters. It uses seven layers of paint to create transparent fabric-like veils, to capture the colors under the skin and to produce realistic faces. This technique is time consuming with each layer having to dry before progressing to the next. The paintings can take months to finish.

If you’ve been looking for a fun and inspirational Savannah senior activity this should certainly fit the bill. From personal tragedy to artistic triumph, this will be a special experience for Savannah art lovers.

Any time you’re looking for fun Savannah senior activities, head to Coastal Empire Seniors website.

We work hard to provide the most complete, local, senior news and information.

Whether you’re looking for Savannah senior living or Savannah senior fun, you’ll find the most Coastal Georgia Senior news on Coastal Empire Seniors website – and in our magazine, available across Coastal Georgia.