“Blue River” by Ewa Perz, Oil on canvas, 48x36in, 2018, $2900
Ewa Perz is from Gdansk, Poland, and her memories of her hometown and the surrounding landscape reaffirm some of the Cold War cliché. In an April 2018 interview with LVA’s Artebella On The Radio, she described growing up in Poland: “…(it) is very gray. There are not as many colors as you would think in the western world. And when I first moved (1989) it was to Mexico, and the primary colors were everywhere, I was surrounded by color.”
The sudden immersion into such a contrasting culture affected Perz deeply, and it would ignite a passion for painting, but not until some 15 years later, when she had relocated to Louisville, Kentucky and became involved with Susan Howe’s Mudpies Studio on the far-east side of the city. Her first paintings resurrected the love of primary color, but in the years since, she has developed a much more sophisticated palette, and although she still creates representational images, a good deal of her most recent work is a subtle exploration of the intermingling properties of light and space. Water surfaces fascinate her, the abstract, mercurial surfaces of lakes and streams revealed in diffuse sunlight.
“Reflection” by Ewa Perz, Oil on canvas, 48x24in, 2018, $2200
“Color is very important to me,” explains Perz. “I paint a variety of subjects, but they are not as important to me as color. To me, color is what bares the essence of an object, and that is what I seek to portray.”
Educated as a scientist, Perz worked as a chemist, and one can only surmise how much theory lies behind her approach to painting. Does her scientifically trained mind deconstruct the chemical relationship in medium? Does she study the colors according to formula? The way Perz talks about her process, the answer seems to be that the analytical side of her brain has moved aside to make way for the artist’s intuitive journey of discovery. “Simplicity is definitely the direction in which I want to continue.”
On September 29, Perz will be part of the Louisville Visual Art’s Juried Exhibit in the 2018 Portland Art & Heritage Fair. The exhibit will be available for viewing at the Marine Hospital from 11am-5pm. Jury prizes will be awarded at 2:00pm.
Perz has also studied with contemporary masters Felo Garcia, David Laffel, Milt Kobayashi. Her paintings are currently on display in Revelry Gallery Boutique, European Splendor and Galerie Municipale (France). Her paintings have been featured in galleries in Miami, as well as Mexico, and France.
Currently, Perz is exhibiting The Kentucky I Love in the NULU AC Hotel, Louisville, KY, through November 2018.
Recent Exhibitions:
April 2018 - Artist Showcase in Churchill Downs
April 2018 - Feature Artist in LVA SquareArt
November 2017 - “Water Strokes”- solo show at Reverie Gallery Louisville Ky
September 2017 - Ewa Perz at Butchertown Social solo show
December 2016 - Spectrum - group show at Art Basel Miami
October 2016 - First Place in “Metamorphosis” art completion by LVA
October 2016 - Mural for Holiday Manor Kroger
September 2015 – “Lush” solo show Ann Tower Gallery, Lexington Ky
September 2014-2016 – Revelry Gallery; Louisville, KY
December 2014 - Global Ties Miami Exhibition; Art Basel week; Miami, FL
May 2013 – ‘Dons d’Artistes’ exhibition; Antibes, France
2011-2012 – Un Oeil Ouvert; Loubet, France
May 2011 – Galerie Municipale; Antibes, France
Summer 2011 – Artist residency; Antibes, France
December 2, 2010 – La Dolce Art Gallery; San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico
Hometown: Gdansk, Poland
Education: Masters in Plant Physiology
Website: http://www.ewaperzgallery.com
Gallery Representation: Revelry Gallery, (Louisville) Ann Tower Gallery, (Lexington), Gallery Municipale, (Antibes, France)
Scroll down for more images
“Women Head Idea” by Ewa Perz, study in oil, 2018, NFS
“Bergman-unfinished copy” by Ewa Perz, OIl on canvas, 2018
“Run” by Ewa Perz, Oil on canvas, 48x72in (triptych), 2018, $2200
Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved. In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville.
