Divine Visions: The Art of Vasyl Stratiychuk

Hailing from Pylypche, Ukraine, he honed his craft in Chernivtsi before immersing himself in Kyiv’s vibrant artistic community. In 1976, he began instructing wood carving at the National Art Institute (now the National Academy of Painting and Decorative Arts) and delved into the restoration of ancient icons from the 16th to 18th centuries across various Ukrainian museums.

Invited by his relative, Roma Franko, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Vasyl arrived in Saskatoon in 1991. During his six-month visit, he crafted the intricate oak entrance door for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of All Saints and a chair for the Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Winnipeg, among other projects. Subsequent visits in 1993 and 1998 saw him producing numerous carved works for churches across Canada and beyond.

Permanently settling in Regina with his wife in 2001, Vasyl integrated into the Ukrainian diaspora, thanks to the warm embrace of the Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Orthodox Church community. His contributions to the church’s beautification project, including large and small icons of holy great martyrs, Angels-Seraphim icons with carved gilded frames, and more, stand as testament to his craftsmanship and devotion.

In addition to his church projects, Vasyl created decorative carved plates on Ukrainian themes and mastered the art of intarsia, embedding images with various types of wood like walnut, pine, and cherry. His exhibition at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada showcases preparatory drawings, painted and wooden icons, and carvings, celebrating his life and work as a genuine Ukrainian master who became a Canadian citizen in 2009.

This project has been made, in part, by a grant from St. John’s Legacy Foundation.

Banner Image: Markian Lozowchuk, Vasyl Stratiychuk. Photo courtesy of the artist.