The first piece is an eight-pointed star mandala, with sunflowers rising from the lower half into a sky filled with stars. The second piece is kiln-formed glass using murrini to create sunflowers for peace.
Throughout Ukraine's history, the sunflower has been used as a symbol of peace. Sunflowers have been grown in Ukraine since the mid-18th century, and has become an unofficial national symbol. In June 1996, US, Russian and Ukrainian defense ministers planted sunflowers to celebrate Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons. This ceremony celebrated Ukraine's abandonment of the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal that it inherited as part of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Sunflowers have become a cry of support for Ukraine and a call on leaders to again plant sunflower seeds for a more peaceful future for the world.