Local artist from Ukraine donates painting to Cathedral of the Madeleine

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This painting, titled 'Crying Angel,' was donated to the Cathedral of the Madeleine by the artist, Elena Roush. Originally from Ukraine, Roush now lives in Utah. The painting was displayed in the cathedral during the March 2 Holy Hour of Prayer for Peace in Ukraine.

SALT LAKE CITY — A painting Ukrainian artist Elena Roush completed in 2008 has come to have more meaning for her in light of the war in her homeland. “Crying Angel” depicts a young angel with tears on her face standing on the banks of a river holding a dove. In the background, shadowed in black, is a bridge and a city. The dove represents peace, and the angel in the painting is crying because the people on the bridge and the city hold it in such low regard, Elena said.

“The angel knows this is not right, that people need to take care of each other,” she said. “She is asking people to be peaceful, loving and good to each other.”

The image is so powerful that it was used to illustrate the program for the Holy Hour of Prayer for Peace in Ukraine that was held at the Cathedral of the Madeleine on March 2. Lorena Needham, the cathedral’s liturgy and music administrator, saw the painting online and asked the artist for permission to use it. Elena freely gave permission, and later donated the painting to the cathedral.

Elena grew up in a village in southern Ukraine near the city of Kryvyy Rih, the birthplace of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. As an adult she moved to Kyiv, where she lived before emigrating to the United States 14 years ago. “Crying Angel” was one of the first works she painted after arriving in the U.S., she said.

She came to Salt Lake City because her daughter Olesya Ilkun was completing her PhD in microbiology at the University of Utah. Olesya finished medical school at the university and now works as a nephrologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Olsya married her husband, Trevor Gordon, in the Cathedral of the Madeleine in June 2014. Trevor worked at the cathedral for several years as master of ceremonies for the liturgy, but had to resign because of his health, Needham said. The couple has two children ages 2 and 4.

Divorced from Olesya’s father since 1995, Elena said she found love in Utah and married her husband, LeRoy Roush, in 2009.

In Ukraine, Elena worked for many years as a fashion designer and artist. After she came to the U.S., she chose to focus on her art and has had a successful career, selling her paintings to clients from all walks of life through an online art auction house. She has also had numerous exhibits of her work. Prior to the pandemic, she taught art classes at the Art Haus SLC Art School.

The war in Ukraine has left Elena heartsick, unable to eat or even sleep most of the time, she said.

While Elena is now a U.S. citizen, several members of her family remain in danger in Ukraine. Her nephew Olexander has enrolled in the Territorial Defense Forces while his wife, child, mother and his wife’s mother hide out in the basement of a house built by Elena’s father in their home village.

“The Ukrainian people, they defend their country because they have heart,” Elena said of Olexander and his compatriots. “They want to have freedom and live their own lives without someone telling them what to do.”

Olexander’s mother, Natasha, is Elena’s sister. Natasha lived in a high rise building but agreed to relocate to the old family home after Elena begged Olexander to take her there for her safety. Elena and Olesya have sent every spare penny they have to their family to enable them to buy a large supply of food to sustain them during the conflict.

Her countrymen and women have no desire to be part of Russia, Elena said. The cultures of both countries are completely different, she said.

Elena had strong words to share about Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. “He is a cruel person who wants to get the whole world under the Russian heel,” she said.

Elena urged all Utahns who can to support the humanitarian efforts for the people of Ukraine. She asked those who do not have funds to give to combat fake news by sharing the truth about what is going on in Ukraine on social media.

“Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and life,” she said. “They don’t want anything; they just want to live in their own country.”