Elzbieta (Elka) Kazmierczak

Black on Red (2016)
2-color linocut
4.4 x 4.5 in.

My current series of abstract linoleum prints titled, “Energy Works” is about my fascination with the relational nature of life; a human microcosm within the natural ecosystem and macrocosm of life with the feminine energy as their organizing force. This series has been inspired by minimalist abstract compositions of Wladyslaw Strzeminski, a Polish avant-garde painter of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the father of Unism, an artistic approach in which visual unity is achieved through the elimination of strong formal contrasts, the use of organic shapes, and elimination of the illusion of 3-dimensional space.

In this series, I experiment with layered gestural drawings and color sequences in an improvisational process, during which I look for unexpected relationships and meaningful arrangements. At any point, in my work, I envision a provisional final outcome but then give-in to the open ended process of visual exploration until I see what I have conceived in my mind’s eye. I have created “Dancing Pisces” to honor my mother’s good-humored connection with life and her compassionate concern for others. My mother was born under the astrological sign of Pisces. I lost my mother to cancer recently. Making this work has given me solace.