I am Tetiana Hurn, a self-taught Ukrainian artist, born in 1984 in the small town of Zhmerynka in the centre of Ukraine.

I grew very self-contained since an early age. My childhood came together with well-known "rough 90’s" after the Soviet Union fell apart. A new-born Independent Ukraine was in a total economic and cultural collapse.

On top of the country crisis my parents divorced when I was 6 years old and we had to go through a tough surviving life with my mother. On the contrast to our poor and tight living conditions I always had big dreams and ambitious plans.

I was raised with the understanding that knowledge is a great power to achieve my dreams. In our tiny kitchen on the 5th floor in a block of flats, the map of the world was hanging up and this was my sacred corner. My window into the big world.

On my own will I went studying at the University of Tourism in Kyiv. I wanted to meet the bigger world, I needed to learn a foreign language and hospitality skills. That vector served me for a good decade.

2013 was a year of transformation. My life had a sharp turn which determined new vector for many years ahead.

A successful Ukrainian traveller and tour guide with an on-going career in the hospitality field and only 28 years old suddenly turned to an unknown artist in a small fishing village on the West Coast of South Africa, a mother to a new-born son.

This is a story of how one insightful event divided my life to before and after.

Before

I needed more excitement in my life. I was quite radical and one day quit my job, cut off all my connections and went traveling and exploring.

You can imagine what a major impact a post-Soviet person had with the freedom while traveling through Europe. You know that traveling was not common during Soviet Union times due to many reasons. Most people were forced to move from one side of the continent to another.

When I came back home to Ukraine, I found myself lost in trying to get back to the routine of work. In fact, I felt hopeless to do anything. I did not know what to do.

After spending a year exploring the outer world there was a time to stop and look inside and explore inner treasures. Surely there was something interesting and meaningful in the corners of my personality.

I started learning astrology and reading psychology books. All that was inspiring, but it still did not give a clear answer of what was hidden inside of me. Until one day in 2013.

2013

I was sitting on the sofa in my father`s house studying my birth chart. It was remarkably interesting as the study clearly pointed out creative and artistic skills I was supposed to have. I laid back on the sofa thinking of what and where they are.

I was sitting on the sofa in front of an old Soviet cupboard crying from desperation. Suddenly my eyes met the cupboard. It was a different LOOK. I had a strange thought that never ran through my mind before:

What an ugly colour cupboard!

It was so strange of why I would think of the cupboard`s colour? I suddenly felt uncomfortable in front of it and I did not know WHY I suddenly got this feeling. I looked and looked at it and observed the irritation building up inside of me. It really started bothering me more and more. I went out of the room. When I came back later - I could not see anything in my room except the ugly cupboard! I could not focus on reading or doing my usual things. All my thoughts were occupied by the irritation. Well, being an analytical person all my life I started thinking of what I can do in this situation. Throwing the cupboard away was not an option because it was huge and heavy and it was my father’s. Not coming back to the room was also not a good idea as it was my space to live for this transition period.

I closed my eyes for a while... Until a voice stroked my mind. It was shouting: Change it!

Change it? As If I was not sure of the message received. Yes, change it! Change!

I was sitting still when the next moment a huge wave of hot energy covered my body like under a hot shower.

I almost jumped off the sofa with this realization of my ability and power of changing! A great discovery I must say.

Next question was, how do I change it? And again, the same voice said: You are free to do anything! You are free!

Allowing myself a thought that I am free to do anything was challenging. But eventually I cracked the eggshell of my inner creativity and it was the stormy beginning of who I am now!

I needed to let my childish fantasies out. It was the birth of my Artist. Years later, I changed it again with my fresh look, but that first original idea gave me a good kickstart and unfolded in a series of cupboard and wall transformations. View my first cupboard transformation over the years here. 

Then I noticed I don't like a blank wall in my bedroom! The same effect - I needed to change and create a dream place to live by the sea! 

After

It was like a snowball effect. My family and friends were excited with my new ability to paint and challenged me with new mural projects and ideas to upgrade their households. By May 2013 I was full of enthusiasm, painting all over I could reach within my country. I was doing it free of charge as part of learning my painting techniques, developing my creative skills etc. I was a student at my own University of Art. A lot of practice and self-education in Art and Communication.

Later that year, I came to South Africa for a visit, met a man and fell in love with both: the country and the South African. Soon after my first visit in August, I moved there for good.

South Africa`s diversity was striking; the nature was magnificent and so inspiring to my new-born Artist!

We moved to Lambert`s Bay, a fishing village on the West Coast due to my husband`s work commitment. I did not know anyone in South Africa yet, was expecting a baby and totally enjoyed the new environment.

I knew that the new-born baby would soon take over my life for a while, so I focused on learning new media - painting on canvas. At that time in my country was a huge transformation - first the big clash with Russia, the Crimea annexation and the peaceful revolution. I was incredibly involved emotionally in all those events and could only help by creating a painting.

By the beginning of 2016 I felt fully adapted in South Africa, had created many new friends and connections.

Another artistic chapter kicked off like huge surfing waves which I was watching everyday living by the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.

In 2019 after the biggest art project Lighthouse I done in South Africa I was recognized by CNN Africa as one of the top street artists in South Africa. 

Have a good surf through the pages of my portfolio! 

Hope you will enjoy the visual effects of my creative journey.

2022

Another year which can divide life into "before" and "after".

A dramatic year of transformation for Ukrainians with the global impact on the world.

My life unexpectedly yet gently brought me here to Scotland in April, straight to its beautiful blooming coastal town North Berwick. 

The windy moody Scottish spring had quite an opposite effect on me. I had a feeling of warmth, coziness and great welcome to be part of its environment. 

I had a strong feeling of having a powerful creative mission at this part of the world. I took a new challenge and dived into exploring local communities, history and new culture with great excitement.

Surprisingly, the things were developing so fast around me, worth to write a separate story.