Published Thursday, November 7, 2002
provides incentive
Herald Staff Writer
Salli Kowalski always considered herself creative, and found an outlet for her energies in painting stage backdrops and designing pamphlets for organizations.
But it took the words of the great 21st century philosopher, Oprah Winfrey, to move the Howland, Ohio, woman to more actively pursue expressing her creative impulses.
"She said, 'If God gave you a talent, you should use it,' " said Ms. Kowalski, whose paintings and drawings will be on display starting Friday at Valley Arts Guild, Sharon.
But before Ms. Kowalski would embrace art, she lacked one thing that Oprah couldn't give her: self-confidence.
"I took some classes at Kent to get some confidence," she said of Kent State University's Trumbull Campus in Champion, Ohio.
In less than three years, her confidence has been bolstered by two solo shows -- the guild show is her second -- and three top prizes at juried shows.
She won two Best of Show prizes at Kent exhibits, and at the just-closed All Media Show at the guild. All of the award-winning works are in the show.
Although her work is finding acceptance, she resists parting with any pieces.
"That's not my priority," she said of selling work. "It's doing the work and what I come up with. It's not about money."
The guild show paints Ms. Kowalski as an unrepentant experimenter. It features works in acrylic, charcoal, Conte crayon, pastel, ink, oil, watercolor, gold leaf, mixed media and pencil, and even a photograph.
"I'm so diverse -- I want to do it all," she said. "I haven't zoomed in on one media to like more than another. I go by what the subject is and how I can best represent it."
For animals -- pictures of several members of the cat family are in the show -- she prefers acrylics or pastels because they best capture the essence of fur and "get the image to come to life."
The mother of two and grandmother of four paints subjects near and dear to her heart, such as portraits of family members and her cats, architectural scenes and landscapes -- the Trumbull County Courthouse and a spooky tree not far from her home -- and exotic cultures, including African women and Egyptian representations.
"Food For Thought," the guild award-winner, shows a more cerebral and political bent as it contrasts a starving African child with the culinary largesse of McDonald's.
"He's starving and needs food fast, and we have fast food," she explained.
Her more personal works often are couched in images her fans would be familiar with, such as "My Spirit," in which she depicted herself as half woman and half cat, with the colors coming from the birthstones of loved ones.
"Carved in Stone" relies on her hopes as much as how she sees herself. Ms. Kowalski painted herself as an Egyptian woman, reflecting her desire to visit Cleopatra's homeland some day.
Her affinity for Egypt partly stems from the mutual love of cats. In "Carved in Stone," her cat, Maja, is perched comfortably on her chest.
"They worship cats and I worship my cat, Maja," she said. "That's why Maja gets the best seat in the house."
The show runs from Friday through Dec. 8 and opens with a reception at 7 p.m. Friday. Also at the reception, a Jim O'Malley painting, a Martin Frolick vase and two meals will be raffled off to raise money for the guild's heating bill. Information: (724) 983-1834 and www.artgally.com/vag
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at
jpinchot@sharonherald.com