Artist Larysa Martyniuk inspired by nature (11/07/99)

Artist Larysa Martyniuk inspired by nature

by Camilla Huk

RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Those who grew up among Ukrainians of Passaic, N.J., area, remember well the Martyniuk girls, Nila, Larysa and Zirka. All three were active in Plast, spent much time with their family, and were interested and involved in Ukrainian culture.

Larysa Martyniuk, today a resident of Colorado, is now a visual artist who works in acrylics, watercolor and mixed media.

Ms. Martyniuk pursued her father's interest in horticulture by studying botany and her mother's love of Ukrainian embroideries and folk art by studying art.

As a youngster she tagged along when her father took the late Maestro Mychajlo Moroz to interesting and scenic sites around Hunter, N.Y. When they set up their easels and palettes, her dad would provide her with canvas and paints, and she would join them, painting happily for hours. In later years, even in her darkest moments, she would continue to find refuge and joy in her work and these early memories.

Combining this love of botany and Ukrainian art forms, she first produced huge paintings of Georgia O'Keefe-styled virginal orchids and other flowers, each a study in lush, vibrant and enticing panoramas, full of passion and sensuality.

At the same time, Ms. Martyniuk became involved in the intricate design of Ukrainian styles based on Hutsul and Trypillian colors, which were applied onto hope chests and tables, produced by her father-in-law, the late Oleh Hladky.

When she moved to Colorado and was introduced to the expansive landscapes of its deserts and canyons, she incorporated these into her florals. The outside world began to intrude onto her intimate images. As her own life progressed, her work reflected its changes.

Ms. Martyniuk explained: "What my eyes can see, my mind can absorb. And if my eyes have seen clearly, my soul responds. The image that remains with me spawns the vision which my hand draws onto the canvas. The world of nature provides myriad beautiful forms and colors to which I turn for inspiration. Whether the gentle petals of a flower or the rugged face of a mountain, nature provides the backdrop on which I express my joy, my sorrow, my peace and turmoil."

In her most recent work, you will find highly detailed, analytical dissections of common plants integrated with a backdrop of blue skies and sunsets. There is a Dali-esque quality to it now - her surreal Colorado landscapes floating across and juxtaposed against other pisages. Thus, the artist illustrates and questions the complexity of time versus image, illusion versus reality, pain versus joy.

There is a quiet stillness in her work, peaceful, balanced, reflecting perhaps her own maturity. Her tall stalks of lavender/blue delphinium reach for the skies, beyond the stone walls and the plains. And, studies of bright pink hollyhocks and and lone cyclamen evoke both joy and solitude.

The devoted mother of a 9-year-old son, Slavko, Ms. Martyniuk spends much of the time she doesn't dedicate to her work teaching youngsters and giving private art lessons. During the past four years she has participated in the Imagination Celebration sponsored nationally by the Kennedy Center for the Arts. In this capacity, she works closely with the local school system in providing a "Focus on the Arts Week" whose purpose is to expose students to a vast array of fine and performing arts. She also gets involved in her son's local school productions, building and setting up stage designs - tasks that she enjoys immensely.

Her work was prominently featured in the The Parade of Homes, a once-a-year event sponsored by the Housing and Building Association of Colorado that presents a display of the best new homes in an area, which are completely furnished and decorated. Open to the public, these homes showcase the latest technology, styles and materials, and are professionally landscaped.

Ms. Martyniuk's work has also been showcased at various national exhibits, including the Connecticut Painters and Sculpture Exhibit at the Stamford Museum, the Woodstock Gallery in upstate New York, New York City's Lincoln Center and the Invitational Exhibit - Artists of the West at Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs.

She is showing her work at Maxim's of Greeley, Colo., and has exhibited at the Aspen Fine Art Gallery in Aspen, Colo., as well as the Hayden-Hays Gallery in Colorado Springs. Her prints are on display at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Gallery Museum Shop and the Cogswell/Squash Blossom Gallery in Old Colorado City.

Her work is found in the collections of The Hunt Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, the president of United Technologies Microelectronic Center, the Behesda Corp., as well as others.

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