About Michele Zuzalek

Artist’s statement

My passion for painting started at a very early age and it is a constant in my life. Drawing was my means of expression.

When I paint abstracts and contemporary landscapes they are interpretations of what I see around me in nature and my impressions of where my imagination takes me.

I often combine several mediums, including oil, acrylic and graphite, and work on canvas, panel or paper. The landscapes are constructed in an intuitive manner. I start first by introducing color, shapes and line, and respond to their development, and decisions are made on the canvas. Constantly moving things around by sanding, scumbling, rearranging, adding and subtracting, the painting comes together after many layers.

My work is about expression and movement.

Interpretation is left to the individual viewer. My intention is that the paintings evoke feelings left behind by a dream, an emotion, or a memory without being limited to the specific details of the event itself.

My paintings are the beginning of a story: a setting that is somewhat recognizable and familiar, but leaves room for the story to be discovered by the viewer. Whether it feels magical and beautiful, or oppressive and ominous, is up to the viewer.

Many of my paintings are abstract landscapes that reflect parts of nature. I’m interested in the worn and weathered elements found in the environment, with a focus on color, texture and pattern.

With an approach to painting that is spontaneous and intuitive, I begin to apply multiple layers of paint. The beginning stages develop as I randomly scrape, erase and add markings to the surface.

Influences

My work is influenced by Richard Diebenkorn, for his colors and composition, and Egon Schiele for his directness, expressionist idiom, and how he conveys his most intimate thoughts and private visions. I have a special affinity with the work of the Early American Modernists, in particular Marsden Hartley and Arthur Dove, and with Helen Frankenthaler and Joan Mitchell.

Training & collections

I am a graduate of the Art Center College of Design and studied painting privately with Jack Lynwood, Tom Wudl, Lorser Feitelson and Leo Carrillo.

My art is found in private collections in the US and internationally, and has received awards including First and Second Place at Art at the JCC and Best in Watercolor at S.C.A.P.E. My studios are located in Santa Barbara, CA and Washington, DC.