Artisan Of The Month: Oleksandr Dekhtiarenko – The Yurich
Yesterday, I randomly came across this artisan’s shop and was instantly thrilled. Since supporting artists and creatives is something I care deeply about, I spontaneously decided to establish an ‘Artisan Of The Month’ section here on Rauchfahne. The only requirement is that their creations must, in some way, be related to incense.
There won’t really be a new artisan or artist every month, but I like the idea of having a place where I can provide a platform for interesting artisans and their work.
So, here he is, February 2025’s Artisan Of The Month:
Oleksandr Dekhtiarenko
Ukrainian artist and designer Oleksandr Dekhtiarenko has been a professional in his field for over 30 years. His main occupation is teaching children to draw, working with around 80 students each year.
In his spare time, he carves hairpins, knife handles, pendants, and other small items from deer and elk antlers. The animals shed their antlers in winter, which then can be collected in the wild. With the support of his wife Natalia, he sells his creations in his Etsy shop, The Yurich. Recently, he made a small selection of incense holders, which was reason enough for me to feature him here.
My personal favourite is this beautifully detailed carving of a bird in a dynamic pose.
Images provided by Natalia & Oleksandr Dekhtiarenko.
That’s really cool. I did have a look at his Etsy page, but they are too expensive for me.
I have been thinking for a week or more, since I got my latest incense burner / ash-catcher, of doing a page dedicated to ash-catchers, as I have quite a collection now!
I can imagine!
Are you familiar with the Incense Burner Museum?
That’s fascinating. There’s a website for everything!
One of my favourite quirky websites is https://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/
in which the guy visits cafes around the UK and has a meal of egg, bacon, chips, and beans, and reviews the food and the cafe in his own quirky, tongue in cheek, humorous style.
XD
Let me introduce you to one of my favourite, absolutely silly subreddits: r/beeswithtophats
Masterpiece! My warm regards to Mr. Oleksandr.
Nice initiative, Irene!
Irene, thank you for supporting Oleksandr. and Ukrainian artisans. It warms my heart and you’ve made my day. God bless you.
Thank you, Eugene.
How could I not support such a talented artisan? The fact that he’s Ukrainian only adds weight to the importance of supporting him. 🕊