Karen Olejniczak

Karen Olejniczak is an artist who works in oil paint and pen and ink illustrations. Primarily, she focuses on landscapes, expressing that she "loves the ever changing fluidity and randomness of nature. Nature is not only beautiful but unpredictable. The earth is God’s creation and I try to reflect that in my artwork." Many of her works depict paths as an expression of Olejniczak's interest in personal choices, and the "roads taken and not taken ... Paths reflect our journey in life. We can grow or we can falter or we can take a turn off a path or stay on a similar one." [1]

Much like choices we make in life, the paths Olejniczak's artworks take grow and evolve. "I may have a preconceived notion as to what the finished painting will look like but once the painting process starts, the painting takes on a different dynamic. And I welcome those moments when emotion takes over and the result is something I didn’t envision" (Olejniczak). The viewer's involvement in the work is important to Olejniczak's process. "Even if a painting doesn’t show a traditional path, I have usually intended  a journey for the viewer on the canvas. There is a movement around the canvas to keep the eye and mind going. This may be done with color or with brushstrokes if not the literal subject matter of a path" (Olejniczak).

Karen Olejniczak grew up in Western New York and then moved to Connecticut, where she lived for twenty years. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Denison University. She moved back to the region recently to be closer to her family. Her parents originally moved to Buffalo because her father, Wray Carlton, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. Carlton played for the Buffalo Bills from 1960-1968, but the family remained in Western New York because they had come to love the region.

To see more of Karen Olejniczak's work, go to her website at: www. karenolejniczak.com

[1] This and subsequent quotations are culled from an artist statement at Karen Olejniczak's website, accessed at http://www.karenolejniczak.com/artiststatement.htm on 7/2/2013.