To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else. Emily Dickenson
about Žanetka
artist statement
I am interested in what is often overlooked, yet with a second glance is revealed to be precious. There are moments in a day that quietly slip by without notice, the time in-between memories. These quiet, in-between moments are filled with possibility and are large enough to contain the imagination. I hope to evoke a sense of quiet reflection in the viewer, perhaps tickling past moments they may have forgotten.
biography
My family and I immigrated to the United States from Slovakia when I was very young; this dramatic change influenced my perception of the world and led me to pursue a life dedicated to the arts. I have been painting, sculpting and printmaking for more than thirty years and received my formal training from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. My involvement in the arts has spanned a broad spectrum: theatrical set designs, children’s museum exhibit designs, book cover illustrations, public murals, fabrication team for Nickelodeon Network, Blues Clues, T.V. Land and The Big Help Mobile, as well as, both gallery and museum exhibitions. When I’m not in my studio, I can be found in the classroom as a Fine Arts professor or outside exploring our beautiful world.
press
Tessa Papas, curator
”I first saw Žanetka's work "in the flesh" so to speak when I visited her studio. I was bowled over! It was lush, painterly with a wonderfully quirky sensibility. Why for example would sheep be grazing amongst overlarge beach balls or beneath a pink ball gown hung on a clothesline? Questions that I still occasionally ponder. Žanetka's imagery has the ability to entrench itself in the mind and an ability to resurface at will. A field of sheep, for example, will instantly trigger memories and bring a smile to the lips.
At the time, I was curating a collection of original art by local artists for the guest rooms of a stylish hotel in Seattle. After my visit to her studio, I pressed Žanetka to paint as many pieces as she could and, happily, she complied. Hotel Max owns 18 of her richly colored paintings and according to the front desk staff it is her work that draws the most compliments from the hotel guests.”
Julie Martin, curator
"Ms. Gawronski’s work shows an imaginative bent that demonstrates a deep sympathy for and understanding of human nature, which is a refreshing phenomenon in our ‘corporate’ culture, and also unusual in the art world. She couples this sympathy with discipline to make paintings that are technically well executed, as well as aesthetically pleasing."