Anna Rykaczewska: Contemporary Landscapes
January 7-30, 2022
Anna Rykaczewska: Contemporary Landscapes
Opening reception: Friday, January 7, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday, January 30, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Closed Monday, January 17, for the holiday. No Saturdays hours in January.
I was born and received my education in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. I dedicated ten years of my education to the study of art. I graduated from the School of Fine Arts and soon afterwards I earned my master’s degree in art history at the University of Warsaw.
After completing my formal education, I worked for seven years as the Art Specialist and Designer at Ars Christiana, the premiere and largest company in Poland specializing in religious art.
Since 1997, my family and I have lived in Tennessee where I engage in supporting local organizations. In 2001, the YWCA honored me with a nomination for the Woman of Distinction award in recognition of my volunteer artwork.
My artwork has frequently accompanied musical events. My portraits of composer Ludwig van Beethoven and of Maestro Serge Fournier attracted audiences during the intermissions of concerts by the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Oak Ridge Chorus in 2003. In 2006, at the request of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, I designed the promotional poster and painted a portrait of internationally renowned double bassist Edgar Meyer. My paintings also accompanied the University of Tennessee’s “Ready for the World” Music Series in September 2016.
I also had the honor of having my paintings presented to His Excellency US Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe by the local Polish American Community in 2004. This painting was exhibited at the Residence of the US Ambassador in Warsaw for six years. Ten of my paintings also decorated the office of the Mayor of Knoxville in the period between 2015 and 2021.
I also had several solo exhibitions, including two at Peter’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge, in 2006 and 2014. The latter resulted in “Visions Magazine” featuring an extensive article about my work and I was named the “Artist of the Month” in March 2014. In June the following year, I had my first exhibition at The Emporium Gallery, where I returned four years later with my second exhibition.
Recently, I included photography as another medium of expression. I was a finalist of the Knoxville Photo 2018 and 2021 competitions. In 2020, six of my photos were exhibited at the Oak Ridge Art Center during the exhibition entitled “Through the Lens”.
My purpose in art is not to surprise or shock. Instead, I share my vision of the beauty that I find in nature. Observing nature is a fascination of mine. I love noting the colors, shapes, light, and atmosphere – I see the world as a beautiful painting. Capturing these observations, and the emotions they rouse in me, on canvas and in photos brings me great joy. The paintings and photographs presented for this exhibition are reflections of the delight stirred in me by the diverse formations of the wonders of the world which I have seen. In the abstract compositions, I wanted to render the rhythm, lines, and shapes of water and wind, like artists, immortalized in stone. I also wanted to give the impression of the ways light changes colors.