Luminous Night Sky Over the Mountains

Luminous Night Sky Over the Mountains, acrylic on board, 8″x6″, 2022 ~SOLD

See Other Available Art: https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/product-category/paintings-drawings/

This is an original acrylic painting inspired by a star-filled night over the San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado. It is not actually of a specific location though so I hope that these mountains can also be a reminder to someone of any mountain range where they have experienced a beautiful night sky.

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Custom Framine of My Art

In a world where the hand made is a disappearing art amidst big corporations and businesses taking over smaller industries, quality hardwood, custom frames for art is becoming a rarity and when it is available the price reflects the unique skill, the ever more expensive raw materials as well as the studio space and tools needed to create. I am lucky that all my medium and large art is framed in house. Frames are specifically fitted for each art piece and beautifully finished for my customers and art galleries.

The framing of artwork provides such a wonderful finishing touch. I'm always surprised at just how much more I am drawn to a painting after it is framed. At the moment, I provide all my medium and large pieces custom framed. If a buyer catches a new painting before its framed, she or he may choose the stain for the wood before its prepped for framing. 

Currently my two go to hard woods are red oak and poplar and my choice colors are black and natural wood, both finished in satin. My partner Kyle creates various thicknesses of gallery style floating frames. The thickness depends on the artwork. The stain of the wood does as well. I am considering streamlining the process for consistency as later this year I'll be starting to display my art in galleries once again.

 

Sometimes I create photoshop mock-ups to get a better feeling for which frame I prefer for a particular artwork. I even share these concepts with my social media followers to get their opinion. My audience is has been very thoughtful in their analysis. In both the above concepts, they preferred black which I was actually surprised by. I wondered if it could have been because both times I shared the side by side images with the black first followed by the natural wood? 

I used to lean toward black for frames. But the natural, light wood is catching my attention more as of late. Still I've been torn with which direction to go. In the past, I used to use walnut as well as a dark cherry. I love all the different shades of wood but in 2022, I am trying to simplify - we'll see how that goes.

Below are a few past images of Kyle framing my other art pieces - some newer paintings as well as some of my past glass mosaics. 

Me standing next to a newly framed painting 36"x48".

A 24"x48" painting framed in a thick black floating frame.

My son Ethan assisting in the framing of a 46"x 34"painting in a thick golden oak floating frame.

Kyle framing a 36"x36" stained glass mosaic in a walnut floating frame.

Kyle framing a 60"x36" stained glass mosaic in a golden oak floating frame.

Kyle framing a 36"x36" stained glass mosaic in a cherry floating frame.

New Minie Mountainscapes

Violaceous Night, 8"x6", 2022 A~SOLD

At the beginning of this year I began a new series of small paintings: 6"x8", 6"x12" and 8"x10". These are the first 5 of the group. I plan to paint another 6-9 for this series. Then I'll choose a group to display at a local gallery here in Pagosa Springs. The rest of them will be made available via my Online Art Shop. See my currently Available Art Here

Starry Night Above Pagosa Springs, 6"x12", 2022 ~SOLD

 

Pink Swirls Above the Mountains, 6"x12", 2022 ~SOLD

Mystical Starry Night, 6"x8", 2022 ~SOLD

Crystal Clear Night Sky, 6"x8", 2022 ~ SOLD

 

Opal Lake – A Fairyland

Opal Lake – A Fairyland, acrylic on board, 18″x24″, 2021 ~SOLD
See Other Available Paintings: https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/product-category/paintings-drawings/

This painting is inspired by Opal Lake here in Pagosa Springs, Colorado where I live.

The hike up to Opal Lake is a local treasure. It is a gentle couple mile walk up through a beautiful forest which is perfect for our little family. The hike is short and easy but when you catch the landscape under the right light, the views equal those of places that may require a more extraneous, longer hike.

Me and my younger son Wesley at Opal Lake

I love when nature is accessible to as many people as possible and this hike offers the magic of remote mountains. It is referred to as the Jewel of the Southern San Juans. The colors and the varied vegetation of the landscape gives the feeling of being in another world, in a Fairyland.

Angle view of the painting.

The sun hitting the gloss finish of the varnished painting.

Detail.

Another detail.

One more detail =)

Its always a challenge to capture the spirit of the finished painting so I try to photograph them from different angles and often in different light.

My partner Kyle holding up the painting in our backyard =)

See Other Available Paintings: 

https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/product-category/paintings-drawings/

 

A Wintry Night Sky Over Pagosa Peak Painting

 

A Wintry Night Sky Over Pagosa Peak 

acrylic on board, 18″x24″, 2021

SOLD

See other Available Art Here:

https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/product-category/paintings-drawings/

 

This painting is inspired by the mountain view along the trail across the road from where I live in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. This is where I take my kids for little forest walks. Its a beautiful trail any time of the year. 

 

 

But anytime after it would snow, the snow covered pines are completely mesmerizing. 

 

 

I haven’t actually walked out there at night but there is a window right by my bed that looks toward the forest  where this trail is. I often look out at night and am blown away by the number and high density of stars above. This part of Colorado has the most incredible night sky. With this painting, I wanted to share this part of my daily inspiration and I hope that it will find a home with someone who loves the unique beauty of fresh snow with a sprinkle of a million stars.

 Angle view. The board has a wooden edge that is 2" deep. It has a gloss varnish applied to it.

 

 

Detail shot in natural light outside. The painting is done with layers of acrylic wash alternating with detail work created with various thicknesses of acrylic paint markers. It is finished with gloss varnish which creates a shiny, finished look. On the back there is a hook for hanging as well as a certificate of authenticity signed by me - the artist.

 

 My partner Kyle holding the painting in a slightly different light.

Calm After the Storm Painting

Calm After the Storm

 acrylic painting on board finished in gloss varnish

12”x24”x2”, 2021
SOLD
Visit My Art Shop for Other Available Work:

https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/

This view is from the foot of Mount Blanca which is the 4th tallest mountain in all of Colorado. I took this photo at the Mystic Valley Sculpture Park which is a collaborative project with my life and creative partner Kyle.

There was a downpour and a thunderstorm so Kyle, Ethan and I waited it out in our van (this was before our little Wesley was born). When it was safe to come out, the atmosphere was so unique. I watched the rain clouds move past the mountains as the sun began to light up the surrounding landscape and accentuated the 3D quality of the mountain range. It is one of my favorite memories out there.

Angle View shows the deep 2" board.

Another Angle View.

Alpenglow Over Pagosa Springs Painting

Alpenglow Over Pagosa Springs

  acrylic painting on board finished in gloss varnish, 12″x24″x2″ 2021 ~SOLD
See My Other Available Paintings Here:  

https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/product-category/paintings-drawings/

 

I painted this scene back in February a the height of Winter here in Southern Colorado where I live. It was inspired by the beauty of the season's alpenglow effect of the mountains at sunset and sunrise. I find that pink glow so meditative and mesmerizing. The landscape appears so quiets and magical at this time of the day. 

I wanted to express how I feel pulled in by these kind of views by painting a local scene here from Pagosa Springs where I live. The San Juan mountains surround this area and in most parts of the region Pagosa Peak can be seen. I love seeing this beautiful mountain from different angles and it has become a favorite of mine to paint. 

 

 The painting is created on a painter's board that is 2" deep. It is varnished on face and sides with gloss varnish. It has a hook on the back as well as a signed certificate of authenticity. All of my work comes with such a certificate.

Alpenglow Over Pagosa Springs

  acrylic painting on board finished in gloss varnish, 12″x24″x2″ 2021 ~SOLD

See My Other Available Paintings Here:  

https://www.kasiapolkowskashop.com/product-category/paintings-drawings/

 

Mosaic Feather Sculpture Installation - Part 3 of 5

The installation of these sculptures did not go as planned or as hoped. In the previous posts, Part 1 and Part 2, I touched upon the unforeseen circumstances with having to plan a big move during the pandemic as well as during the sleepless months following the birth of my second son.  We had to temporarily install the 6 sculptures in an ungrouted state - I ran out of time unfortunately. We debated moving the sculptures to our new house where I'd be able to take my time with the grouting but that would come with many of its own challenges. So we planned to grout at a later time.

Above you can can get a tiny glipmse into our installation which took many trips and so much effort. Our little Wesley was just a little peanut and he was there every step of the way.

Additionally our then 2.5 year old son Ethan was helping daddy prep the installation site which consisted of lots of measuring, then digging/drilling 6 holes for the steel culverts that would line up and be somewhat level =) 

There was so much testing involved with each feather that would go in. Kyle did an exceptional job juggling it all, especially considering his underage of a toddler, a newborn and a postpardum Kasia.This was really hard for me to do as well but we all came together because we had no other option. I just spent most of my pregnancy working on this special project and we couldn't let it fall apart this late in the game. Securely pacing and moving all the unfinished sculptures from Alamosa to Pagosa Springs and then eventually back to Mosca seemed even more daunting.

 It is safe to say that Ethan is a mid-level assistant at this point hahahaha

Here I am with my little master pieces - specifically my two little rays of sunshine. Ethan was so curious during the whole process and so willing to give a helping hand along every step of the way. Despite his huge enthusiasm, this was a bit challenging for the parents lol But look how happy and proud he was.

And I must highlight our tiny little nugget here. Wesley was literally a newborn in early Spring 2020 during this time. He was getting a very realistic glimpse into the struggles of artists as we barely pulled this off (I touched upon this more in Part 1 of this series of posts). He was a good sport ... I think ... this whole thing was actually so exhausting, that I don't remember much anymore. At that point, I was still not really sleeping, you know that whole night feeding thing with newborns - wow - that was really intense but we made it!

Sometimes, when people looked at the finished product, and for a large project, it may be difficult to imagine what measures the artists had to take to really make that happen. For us, there was a lot of improvising with this one, mainly due to unforeseen circumstances with an unplanned move to a different part of Colorado and needing to get these feathers out of our old studio. I couldn't do any lifting at this point, still recovering from giving birth. So Kyle strapped on the lifting belt around his waist and did the work of 2 people, lifting and moving everything. And here you can see our high-tech machinery used to move the sculptures to location. If there is a will, there is a wary, right? 

 

 

These may be 'feathers' but they were definitely not light, especially the two biggest ones.  But a father of a new born has super powers, at least I am lucky that this one does <3

If you are wondering why are we doing this all by ourselves and you missed the other posts about it. This was right at the beginning of the Covid Pandmic in 2020. We could not ask anyone for help but it needed to be done before a deadline of sorts.

Euphoria does not fully describe the feeling we felt once the 6 feathers were safely but temporarily installed at our sculpture park. This was the day before our move. We were actually busy cleaning our house until our property manager (not our landlord), had a worker cover the wooden parts of the outside of the house with boiled linseed oil and the fumes quickly began to seep into our whole place. Remember, we have a newborn and a toddler, and she was fully aware of this and that we were cleaning the place so that we could get our deposit back the next day. Anyway we had to drop everything and leave the house so as not to endanger the baby - for anyone out there, these type of fumes can actually suffocate a newborn. (And on another fun side note, eventually I assume because we left the house in better shape than when we moved in there, we were accused of breaking a window and stood to loose our deposit - note: the window was actually cracked from the outside, like when a rock chips a windshield in a car - this was clearly seen in photos that were provided to us ... yup, all this insanity and more was happening during this lovely feather project.) So back to the Euphoria ... we did not think we'd have time to place all feathers in their stands but because we had to leave our house, the extra few hours of fresh air were obviously utilized to do more work lol

I was sooooooo tired and sad and exhausted because of the chapter we were closing in Alamosa but at the same time, I was thankful and happy for the time we had there and all that we accomplished. I'll write more on the meaning of this installation but will just mention that feathers are considered to be a good omen from above and it could not be more appropriate for us to spend our last day living in Alamosa and moving from a place where we had an abusive property manager, probably escaping other abuse from her. We ended up moving to a really beautiful place to a house that is owned by a really sweet woman. I believe it was a gift from the Universe - we'll take it!

So we celebrated, we laughed and I felt like I should cry because there were so many emotions but tears weren't meant to flow that day, at least not here in our special place. Here I was happy because we still have this place, our little patch of the high desert where we get to realize our crazy creative ideas and marvel at the natural beauty of the San Luis Valley. 

How could this view not make us happy? Right? Yes, still most of the feathers still needed to be grouted on both sides and the installation would need to be completed months from this day but still it at least looked done from a distance. Much more work was put into it on our future excursions from Pagoas Springs which is a 2 hour drive. Pretty crazy how this project just kept on going, and going and going to what seemed like infinity. But today we have these awesome feathers set against this beautiful and powerful mountain. And we built a whole trail around them and we LOVE walking around there, especially at sunset, seeing the feathers from all different directions, during different seasons and weather patterns is a gift.