K. Otlowski

Prints include etchings, intaglio, lithography on stone and metal plate, as well as colorful monotypes. Prints were made in Boston, MA, New York, NY and Venice, IT.

Begun in the winter of early 2011, Looney Series is the set of 4 paintings completed in Boston, MA that I still draw inspiration from to this day. I love oils on canvas, and did not yet want to experiment with this imagery in any other medium. I appreciate the richness, aesthetics and the workmanship of oil paints. I drew a few potential ideas out on paper with markers, as part of the initial process of laying down ideas.

Lately, I have been using markers, water colors and gouache for final paintings, not just part of the initial process of brainstorming. These works are displayed as part of the Water Color/Marker Drawings page. 

The bulk of this work was presented in the Art Gallery 5 exhibition in Boston, MA. This was a painting and sculpture show of myself and sculptor Kaylee Dombrowski. Title of the gallery show was "Ties Among us/ Zwiazki Miedzy Nami."  Theme of the show dealt with ties between two artists, friends, the impressions and memories that inhabit our minds, and the people and places that we share and experience, which influence our work and attitudes later in life.  

Reflection of the artwork and gallery show from myself and Kaylee may be found here:
http://www.bu.edu/today/2011/taking-the-strange-out-of-strangers/

Pushing the oil paint on canvas to exhibit strong, confident brush marks that personify abstract, emotive, landscapes. The scale of these paintings vary, although most are small,  and all were completed in Boston, MA after a trip to Europe in the fall. The distant memory of the European terrain stayed with me that following spring. Most of these paintings are a painterly obsession with water, as we are surrounded by it in New York City but don't think of it often, as the architecture around us blocks our peripheral vision towards the rivers. 

Three specific works are of the Hudson River, where abandoned industrial architecture obstructs our view of the site across- becoming part of the landscape and participating in the pattern of darkness versus light; metal structure versus the reflective waters.

1st piece: “Puff”, 27’’x40’,’ Gouache, acrylic, pencil and marker on watercolor paper.

This is an artwork that came out a few years after the Looney Series and it was a culmination of needing to create a piece of art after taking a pause from painting. It was the desire to make marks on the paper using the energy of the whole arm moving around the page. Something about organic shapes feels as if they are the best way to invite the viewer’s eye to move around the entire composition.

Each mark, a reaction to the previous one. An improvisational start before finalizing the details, which lead to a vibrant, whimsical alternative world of color, opposite of the dreariness of everyday life. No one narrative is being told in the piece, and it feels like one story slips into the other, fitting like a puzzle block. A story within a story, just like how our imagination work in layers: One thought leads to another.

During the drawing, I worked on it by turning the paper, drawing, then turning again. This resulted in “Puff” being able to hang both ways for display, since the viewer can admire the details in both directions, and the composition still works. Although, I do prefer to view it as it is displayed in the image on this site.

I enjoy drawing cartoon-like creatures in my work, sneakily peeking at the audience behind the safety wall of pattern and color.

Women Series

Designed two front covers for Boston University's Arché, Philosophy Journal. The relationship with the journal began during my undergraduate time at BU, and continued in 2013 when I designed their Fall 2013 cover for the journal. 

These small-scale collages were created recently during quarantine of 2020. I was reading about surrealism and thinking about photo collage. This idea of dreams in the back of my mind, plus looking at folk art (complete opposite of surrealist paintings- I know), idea of memories as opposed to real ones that I had, the collection of my random little objects packed in boxes, assemblage… I decided to create new art during this time related to all of the above.

From these photos, 3 artworks were made in May with the exception of “Beyond/Depicting Dreams” which was created in late April. The “Beyond” collage with found objects and catalog/newspaper photos was assembled first, before the digital recreation with the poem. In that piece, the imagery was created first, then the right words were found after skimming countless poems. The chosen words are a snippet from a Polish poem, feeling they best conveyed the mood that I wanted to evoke.

The other three works photographed, are also small scale. They play with a soft color palette, vintage feel in regards to color (but in addition a 20 year old postcard is indeed, part of one of the works) and romantic notions: roses, tulle, silky fabric, but also…the small dark humor of not just looking out your window but feeling what you saw out there, too. The feel of the outside world as we daydream, peering out our windows, is romantic indeed for all of us at this time!