Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Krawczyk.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in the Arrowhead region of northern MN on the Iron Range, an area whose economic bolsters are iron ore mines and tourism. My father worked as a driller at one of these mines and my mother was a teacher. Culturally fine art may not be strongly valued on the range, but hard-work, hunting, fishing, and sports certainly are. My dad, though he was a miner who loved all of these things (and taught them all to his four children), was my biggest fan (he passed away last March just before his 73rd birthday). He was funny, intelligent, quirky, a voracious reader, and I definitely inherited his propensity to dream, which I’m quite certain allowed me to pursue an unconventional career as an artist. My mother, a second generation immigrant (my grandparents were Finnish), has often bucked convention, embraces eccentricities, and taught me to be keenly aware of the sensual qualities of nature. My childhood home was surrounded by the forest and a variety of wildlife could be seen on any given day. I was accustomed to seeing bears during my daily going-ons as what would be called today a free-range child. I knew to make noise while foraging for wild edibles in the woods, or simply turn my bike around if a bear was encountered on our dead-end dirt road. Timberwolves and coyotes are common in northern MN and there’s nothing quite as enchanting as the howling of wolves on a frozen night. I’ve always lived in cold climates. In 1996, I was living in Ely, MN, at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) when just miles away the coldest temperature ever recorded in MN occurred, -60 degrees Fahrenheit, and that wasn’t including the wind chill. I was in college at that time and was cleaning houses to pay the rent. I cleaned for the local radio personality and Ely historian Mike Hillman, a good friend of the station’s owner, journalist Charles Kuralt. Mike told me he camped outside that night (for bragging rights, I suppose)! Either way, winter camping is a thing in MN! I’ve also lived in Gunnison, CO, which has beaten International Falls, MN for the coldest city on occasion. I now call the lovely Berkshires home but I swear I’ve never been colder during some of these cold, gray New England winters!
Please tell us about your art.
I paint large-scale paintings of the female figure. I consider myself a classical realist with perhaps a touch of romanticism. I’ve always had a keen or perhaps morbid awareness of the brevity of life. This awareness has heightened my experience of beauty and when I paint I think I do so from a place of loss or wistfulness. I had a fabulous childhood but my world came crashing down when my parents chose to end their marriage when I was 13. I was blindsided. If you look closely at most of my paintings, you’ll notice that wistfulness, almost an Olpheliesque quality (especially in the water paintings), but even in the paintings of old cars and trucks. There is a paradox between death and perhaps a type of resurrection or reclamation of sorts. Decay has a beauty of its own and it can re-emerge even more profoundly beautiful than before. That is perhaps why I paint, to resurrect my experience of beauty so that I may share it with others. Often times people will exclaim, “Your paintings look like photographs!” I know it’s meant as a compliment but I’m not merely trying to capture something beautiful in a way that a camera could just as easily accomplish. My wish is to resurrect and depict the experience of beauty.
What do you think about the conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
I think if your work is great, you work hard, go above and beyond, and stick to your commitments, you have a really good chance of thriving as an artist. However, as a stay-at-home-mom, (while I believe the experience of motherhood has influenced my work in a powerful way), it is very challenging to be prolific, and even if you make really good paintings, I’ve found it very difficult to be taken seriously with so few paintings, which then means if you’re not selling work, it’s difficult to produce more work with young children at home and no means for childcare. The Bennett Prize competition just awarded $50,000 to a female artist to create a solo exhibition. The Bennett’s realize… “Museums and galleries present far fewer exhibitions of art by women, have fewer pieces by women in their collections, and, when women’s pieces are collected, they generally sell for less than works by male artists.” You can learn more about their initiative at thebennettprize.org. Also, visit womenpaintingwomen.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Currently, I have a body of work sitting in my studio, and I have a few more pieces to complete before I approach a couple of galleries I have my eye on. Most of my time and energy right now is put toward nurturing my three young children, but my youngest is now at the age where I hope I can soon return to painting close to full-time. I have some work with a fantastic gallery in Colorado, Keating Fine Art. I would love to find a gallery in New England to represent me, so if anyone knows of a gallery that my work might be a good fit for, I would be interested in learning about the gallery. I would love to do some commissioned work as well, so spread the word! You can also follow me on Instagram and sign up for my mailing list on my website at www.caseykrawczyk.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.caseykrawczyk.com
- Phone: 413-717-8475
- Email: info@caseykrawczyk.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/caseykrawczyk/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/caseycorinnekrawczyk/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
