Princess Olha — a woman who ruled a state at a time when that was no woman's business.

Since childhood I have been proud to bear the same name. I could never walk past her monument in Kyiv without pausing.

After her husband was killed, she took power into her own hands and ruled firmly, wisely, building up the state. She was the first among our rulers to accept Christianity, even before Volodymyr. There was something deeply far-sighted in that. And later her line gave rise to Volodymyr, and to everything that followed.

Around her are images that, to me, speak of strength and lineage. A root growing down into the earth. Aurochs on either side — the wild force that guards her. And the cross — her choice, which changed so much.

While I painted, I discovered a great deal about princely dress. That the golden pendants by the temples are called kolty — and that fragrant cloth was once tucked inside them, so they carried a scent. That the cloak over one shoulder is a korzno, the ring around the neck a hryvna, and the crown itself is fastened to a slender headband, the ochillia. Small things — yet painting becomes far more interesting the moment you know what each one is and what it is for.

For me, she is about beginnings. And a beginning is often exactly like this: quiet, firm, and feminine.