FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Katya Bratslavsky’s artwork fills up an entire room and more. The studio in her house in Fayetteville, N.Y., is adorned with abstracts, seascapes, florals, and so much more. Bratslavsky, 48, has two rooms in her house that are full with dozens of paintings.
Last week, many of Bratslavsky’s paintings were sold at auction at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse. They raised over $170,000. The proceeds are going overseas to help bring supplies to Ukraine.
“I probably have over 300 paintings,” Bratslavsky said. “So one day I decided I’m gonna put up all my paintings for sale.”
Bratslavsky was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and lived in Moscow for most of her childhood. She and her family emigrated to the United States in 1992, and they have lived in Fayetteville for the last 11 years.
Bratslavsky is one of many Russians living here who are horrified by what is going on in Ukraine. For Bratslavsky, the war is even more personal. Her husband, Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky of Upstate Hospital, is Ukrainian.
“I feel that I am Ukrainian by choice, and I’m Ukrainian by marriage, and I support Ukraine 100 percent,” Bratslavsky said.
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Bratslavsky is the Chairman of the Urology Department at Upstate, and recently returned from a trip to Eastern Europe. According to his wife, he was originally supposed to go to Poland to oversee the shipment of humanitarian supplies into Ukraine. However, he did not tell her that he was driving an ambulance to Lviv, a city in Western Ukraine.
“He drove for 20 hours,” Bratslavsky said. “He did not call me because I think he was pretty nervous that I would find out and I would worry sick about him.”
Bratslavsky recently started a charity called Help Free Ukraine. Funds from the charity have gone to Kyiv City Clinical Children’s Hospital #2 and the National Cancer Institute of Ukraine.
“Every penny that I collect, it will save someone overseas,” Bratslavsky said.
Those interested in donating to the charity can visit helpfreeukraine.com.
