Manitoba artist transforms snowbanks into sunny tribute to Ukraine

An amateur Manitoba artist transformed the snowbanks in front of her East St. Paul home into a tribute to Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian invasion.

Karen Hiebert said she was toying with the idea of a snowy art installation for a few years, contemplating painting a cheerful message outside her home.

When she heard the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hiebert’s idea evolved.

“It got me thinking even more about the sunflower imagery associated with that country,’” she recalled.

Hiebert has a personal connection to the invasion, as her husband and children have Ukrainian ancestry and like many Manitobans, she counts many Ukrainian-Manitobans as friends and neighbours.

On Saturday, she put paints in a few spray bottles and made some stencils, adorning the snow with the bright hues of Ukraine’s national flower, which has also become a symbol of solidarity with the country under siege.

“The neighbours loved it and people have commented,” she said.

Hiebert is also an avid gardener, adding the project helped tide her over as she patiently waits for the many mounds of snow to melt so planting can begin. She shared images of her snowy sunflowers to a popular Winnipeg gardeners’ Facebook group she is a member of.

“People went crazy for it over there. I got over a thousand likes, I believe,” Hiebert said.

Hiebert said the snowbank art was her simple contribution in uncertain times.

“We all feel helpless under these circumstances,” she said. “Trying to bring a smile or just uplift people in times of trouble and being worried about the world and the state it’s in. After two years of the pandemic, we’ve all been through a lot.”

- With files from CTV Winnipeg's Jamie Dowsett