Ekaterina Sky shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Ekaterina, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
When I paint, I lose all sense of time. It’s like entering a portal, one where colors become prayers, and brushstrokes carry stories from the Earth. Especially when I’m creating pieces like Prayer for the Earth, I become a vessel for something greater than myself. The world quiets. There’s no past, no future just this sacred present moment.
Nature does the same. When I’m surrounded by ancient trees or listening to the ocean, I remember who I am beyond all labels. I feel reconnected to spirit, to the planet, and to a deeper truth within. It’s in these spaces, whether through art or the wild, that I lose myself… and find my truest self again.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ekaterina Sky. I’m a visual artist, muralist, and founder of the Prayer for the Earth project — a community-based art initiative that uses sacred geometry, storytelling, and symbolism to reconnect people with the natural world and each other. My work centers around environmental consciousness and collective healing, often taking shape through large-scale public murals that invite community participation.
What makes my work unique is that it’s not just about painting it’s about creating sacred spaces where people can come together, especially in times of transition, grief, or ecological crisis. As someone who’s experienced displacement through war and immigration, I deeply understand the need for spaces where people can feel seen, heard, and united.
Right now, I’m working on series of Prayer for the Earth murals. The most recent one was unveiled in Altadena, California — six months after devastating wildfires where I was nvited by John Hopikins and Sev Dhar to paint with the community, write prayers, and seal their hopes for the city and the planet into the wall itself. For me, this is not just about art. It’s about honoring place, memory, and our shared responsibility to protect the Earth.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that was built in survival — the one who kept moving no matter what, holding it all alone — has served its purpose. I carried that version through war, immigration, and the experience of losing everything. But now, I’m releasing her with love.
Through losing it all, I learned something sacred: grief holds the seed of transformation. I’ve discovered how to transmute loss into life force — how to turn pain into prayer, and sorrow into beauty. That’s what my work is now — helping others move through this process, through collective art, storytelling, and remembrance. We’re not just healing — we’re creating new worlds from the ashes.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Yes, I remember a time someone truly listened not just with their ears, but with their full presence. It was subtle, but life-changing. That kind of listening where someone sees you, feels you, and gently holds space for your truth is rare. And I’ve come to realize it’s exactly what our communities need, especially in the wake of loss.
That’s why the Prayer for the Earth mural in Altadena was so powerful. It wasn’t just about painting it was about creating a space where people felt heard. We listened to the community’s grief, six months after the fires. We listened to quiet stories of resilience. And we listened to the land itself scorched, aching, but still alive. It meant the world to me to be able to be there for the communty of Altadena. It holds a very speacial place in my heart.
Over four days, we built the wall, painted its story, and invited the community to write their personal prayers for the Earth each one sealed into the final layers of the mural. On Sunday, we celebrated with music, storytelling, and shared meals food provided by The Vegan Joint and BeeWali’s Vegan AF, supported by Plant Based Treaty and Support & Feed turning the site into more than just a wall. It became a space of shared abundance, beauty, and connection.
Listening is an act of love. And in today’s world, truly listening to one another and to the Earth may be the most radical thing we can do.
And we are so greateful for the support of m Oh Happy Day Vegan Café, along with Collidescope Foundation, LA Climate Week, Plant Based Treaty, Soul Force Project, Climate Designers LA, Support and Feed, Veggie Grill, Graphenstone Paint, and Ganahl Lumber, and others.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admire John Hopkins — not for any position of power, but for the strength of his character. He’s the founder of what used to be Oh Happy Day Vegan Café in Altadena, a place that was more than just a café — it was a place of gathering for compassionate people. John has always shown up with compassion, offering free meals to those in need and holding space for anyone who needed support.
Even after losing his home and business in the fires, he continues to serve the community with resilience and love. His spirit is a reminder that true leadership is quiet, generous, and rooted in care. People like John are the heartbeat of a place — and he’s one of the reasons we created the Prayer for the Earth mural in Altadena, through his help we were able to provide spave for others to heal and connect through art.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Compassion begins with the understanding that nothing is separate. The trees, the rivers, the animals, and one another — all are part of a single, living system. When the Earth is harmed, everyone is affected. And when care is offered to the Earth, that healing extends outward — to communities, to families, to future generations.
The Prayer for the Earth mural in Altadena served as a space to embody this truth, reminding us that we are one. The prayers written on the wall were not just for the planet — they carried the hopes of children, the grief of loss, and the desire for renewal. Every word became part of a collective act of restoration.
True compassion is recognizing this deep interconnection — and choosing to live as caretakers of one another and the Earth we all call home.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ekaterina-sky.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ekaterina.sky.art/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-sky-73a4aa115/
- Other: New Podcast Artful Impact: https://partiful.com/e/tUTQgxFGAotaWVhz0KyG
Image Credits
Ekaterina Sky
