Veres, Limited Liability Company

Director – Oleksandr I. Papus

One can surely call ‘Veres’ articles are the real Ukrainian souvenirs. ‘Veres’ company is aimed at manufacturing unique products from wood decorated with flower and miniature painting.

The very translation of the word souvenir (‘given as a keepsake’) is from French and it reflects the main concern of company’s owners — to keep memories about Sumy, Kiev and Ukraine. Thus, those who would buy or be presented with bright vases, plates and caskets, would have beautiful recollection of Ukraine.

For 5 years of existence ‘Veres’ managers and painters managed to develop their own specific style of production by combining classical forms and shapes of the articles with panorama representation, portrait or architecture painting.

The picture on one vase side is usually included in the oval, while beautiful flowers bunched with buds and twigs, form a luxurian bright-coloured background.

However, the unique authors’ style and individual painting manner is not limited to already existing usual methods and approaches. Therefore, every ‘Veres’ master has a freedom of self-expression. The only one thing that is strongly demanded from the artists is professionalism and mastery. Some of the painters have become the real virtuosos.

By the way other forms and shapes besides vases were being claborated in ‘Veres’. Among them are round low-sized caskets, wide-side plates with mirrors, and various egg shapes. Later, traditional forms of Ukrainian dishes became widely used like jugs or pitchers, pots, makitras that are not associated with those ceramic ones because of design. Despite ‘Veres’ goods are applied primarily for decorated purposes, some of them are available for everyday use like the device for pouring products or a box for women needlework (e.g. decorated makitra) and takas.

Admiration by barocco traditions is fully expressed in modern ‘Veres’ articles. By the way, the word barocco means ‘creative’ from Italian that precisely describes the authors of Ukrainian souvenirs, who are always full of creativity. Sumy ‘Veres’ souvenirs combine different achievements in dishes of form decoration. One can see either flower ornamenting or geometric figuring, copies of great masterpieces or representation of beautiful landscapes and battle pictures. Moreover, ‘Veres’ workers perfectly execute order whether it is a portrait or a landscape or whatever. Nevertheless, having gone through such a ‘special training course’ Sumy masters gradually created their own specific under- lacquer painting method. They constantly look for and attract young talented painters and quickly respond to changes in customer preferences but at the same time, they keep and respect the national traditions of Ukrainian art.

Mostly soft kinds of wood (like lime-tree, aspen or sometimes birch and oak) are used in manufacturing process in ‘Veres’. The turners themselves prepare and choose the most suitable, the best tree trunks. The miracles of working up the wood start at workers’ lathes. (By the way, the turners work with raw wood). When the piece of wood, already fixed starts turning around, one can see something amazing. First, the soft rustle of chips is heard; the shavings are flowing out as a serpentine ribbon from an ideally sharp chisel. Then, that crude piece turns into a shape of a graceful vase or a beautiful casket. After that the articles are sent into the drying room where they are left for a period of 20-40 days. The next step is a detailed examination. If any small damage or minor defect is found, it is eliminated; however, if the damage is serious, then the article is out of work. Priming is one more link in technological chain that is followed by lacquering that is performed with the help of special brushes. And again comes drying at room temperature (about 24 hours). The next procedure is grinding or polishing; and, finally the articles reach painters’ hands.

Beside the noisy lathe shops there are quite rooms where experts professionally carve the wood. The joiners make trays, writing device, plates, caskets and baklagas.