Photograph by Paul Myers
A variety of Wanda Kownacki's mixed media paintings, from postcards to large wall-hangings, are on display at Gallery Saratoga.
Local artist paints a last hurrah
By Shari Kaplan
Large canvasses and small; framed and matted; old and new; watercolors, acrylics and pastels--for an exhibition titled "The Last Hurrah," this one certainly shows the breadth of its creator's skills and interests.
That creator is longtime Los Gatan Wanda Kownacki; the venue is Gallery Saratoga, 14531 Big Basin Way, Unit 3, located in the Saratoga Village. "The Last Hurrah" is on display in the main gallery now through Nov. 4.
In reference to the title, Kownacki confirms that this will most likely be her last art exhibition. "I'm a 'very senior,'" the 80-something artist says with a chuckle. "I'm tired of painting what I used to paint--representational images. If I had more energy, I might go into abstract art, because that interests me, but that's a whole new direction."
"It's kind of like something ended in me," she says of her formerly strong desire to paint, which is now waning.
But that's all right, she adds, because she's found another creative pursuit: organizing and writing her memoirs and family history. Kownacki says her 8-year-old grandson had been asking her about her life, which inspired her to enroll in Life Stories, a 10-week series taught by Sheila Dunec and held at the Unitarian Fellowship of Los Gatos.
Kownacki's story is an interesting one. A native of Russia, she was raised and educated in Poland. A graduate of the Warsaw School for Journalists, she worked for a time as a reporter for a Polish newspaper. She left the country in 1946 with Stan, her college professor husband, and lived in Europe, North Africa and South America--all places where Stan taught.
The couple settled in Los Gatos in the mid-1950s, after which time Kownacki studied life drawing and painting at West Valley College in Saratoga. She had begun developing these skills even earlier, however. While living in Algeria, Kownacki received a gift from her daughter of watercolor paints and paper. Inspired by the beautiful flowers she says grew in Algeria, she took up painting and never stopped.
"I develop the whole painting in my mind first, before I paint it," she says. "It's completely spontaneous. I don't really care about depth or all the rules you should follow. As long as I think it looks good, then it's all right."
Among the paintings on display for "The Last Hurrah" are those depicting flowers, one of her favorite themes, including Iceland poppies, California poppies, sunflowers, petunias, orchids, hibiscus and irises. Other paintings feature human subjects, such as the demure, flaxen-haired young woman in the monotype Harvest; the tasteful Reclining Nude or the two friends--one black and one white--in the mixed media painting Sisters.
The public is invited to an artist's reception, with refreshments, on Oct. 14 from 1 to 5 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 408.867.0458 or visit www.gallerysaratoga.com on the web.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
