The Art of  Micheal Zarowsky [Cover title}

 

 

The Zarowsky Touch  [Inner title]  by Suzanne KIngsmill

 

When artist Micheal Zarowsky pulled the 33 by 29 inch framed watercolour painting out of its cardboard sleeve in his Rosedale studio home, I was mesmerized. As with the dozens of other paintings blanketing the walls and stacked against each other, ready for his December studio show, he had taken a microcosm of a landscape and teased out its very core. 

 

The intricate painting depicts a late autumn scene with some desperate coral leaves still clinging to the snow-dusted branches and a light dusting of snow on the forest floor. Even the solid branches of the pines have light and depth shining through them from a meticulous buildup of successive ‘washes’, or layers, almost as if you can see the spaces between the atoms. Yet, it is not completely photographic. From a distance there is a luminous realism, but when you get close, it breaks down into a fluidity of abstract shadows and shapes, like two separate paintings. Says Zarowsky, “I get to know every aspect of the landscape before I become loose with it. It’s more of an abstract composition, flows and patterns. I call it the essence of what was there.”

 

Zarowsky was born in in a displaced persons camp in Germany during the war. He moved to Canada in 1950 and has always been an artist. He jokingly alludes to doodling in the womb and was nine years old when had his first art show. He took an honours degree in philosophy and psychology at York University, where he met his wife, Wendy, in 1976. They married in 1984 and moved to Rosedale, because, as Wendy says, “it was beautiful and accessible for our clients.”

 

He uses ‘we’ in his conversation with me and everyone else, because he and Wendy are an extraordinarily cohesive team. They do everything together. If they find themselves somewhere with Micheal sketching in the field till dusk they sleep in the car, a mattress in the back always handy. He and Wendy discuss, trouble- shoot and toss ideas back and forth. ‘I do the actual physical work but to get to that point, it’s the two of us. On the back of most paintings I sign both our names, because it is a collaborative effort.”

 

He is a self-taught artist who never found traditional jobs worked for him.

“Money is not the motivator,” he says. The art is. And art takes him places where creative people go when they become immersed in an idea, a painting, a song.  And then lose themselves. “Until I get emotionally involved in a painting, it doesn’t happen. Then you open yourself up to it and become one with it,” says Zarowsky. “It’s a wonderful thing. You’re really connected to whatever is going on; you’re living with the trees and the forest. It’s part of the universe. It opens up to you. It’s bigger than you. You lose yourself in it and it can be overwhelming.” Wendy adds, “He is completely self-motivated and so intense. He has that marvellous, unique way of seeing what he finds beautiful in the world.”

 

Typically, the most time consuming part of his art, which ranges, among other things, from microcosms of winterscapes to sundrenched villas and Venetian bicycles jumbled together, are the drawings, where he maps out the detail. His intricate bicycle paintings from the Lido, where the spokes of the wheels splinter the negative space into dozens of shards of abstract shapes, take a week to draw and a couple of hours to paint. He puts in 16 hours days, conceptualizing,

drawing or painting his works of art.

Around 2000, Zarowsky’s watercolours morphed into a self-invented watercolour acrylic hybrid, when watercolours got a bad name for fading under glass. As Zarowsky says, no one complained about photographs and prints and reproductions, which also fade. He now paints mostly on slick, gessoed birch panels or gessoed panels with an absorbent layer, which don’t need to be framed. Watercolour on paper and watercolour on gessoed birch panels are two different things, he says. On paper, it’s a flatter look; on the board, it stands out more, but is more difficult to control.

 

He’s always learning, he says. “Art is a progression. We’re either growing or we’re not. You learn, and the next step should be a little more difficult or complicated than the last. That’s all I walk away with in the end. The experience. The paintings are gone. They’re living their lives somewhere else, but we (he and Wendy) have the memories of what we’ve done, where we’ve been.”

 

Numerous Zarowskys hang in the homes of Rosedale residents, and he has sold his paintings to collectors around the world. Paintings range from $275 for the smaller ones to over $7500 for n 5 by 7 footer. He does much of his own selling himself and mounts two shows a year at his studio. He has exhibited at numerous galleries, including Toronto galleries Arta, Petroff and John A Libby Fine Art, and was part of a show with New York’s Nancy Hoffman at an event in Las Vegas.

 

As for the future? “There’s so much out there,” says Zarowsky. “If I lived to be a 1000, I wouldn’t get done what I want to get done. I can’t turn it off.”  Which is a very excellent thing, because it means more art from Micheal Zarowsky. Check out his website www.zarowsky.net and get lost in his art!

 

no way ! it’s the spirit ! ))

From: micheal zarowsky

Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2017 3:01 PM

To: ‘A. Kutishcheva – Rozumey’

Subject: RE: cover story

Thanks Anna,

     All credit goes to the photographer….

From: A. Kutishcheva – Rozumey [mailto:akutishcheva@cogeco.ca]
Sent: January-20-17 11:08 PM
To: micheal@zarowsky.net
Subject: Re: cover story

Wonderful, congratulations and very well deserved ! Love the photo ! Best,Anna

catherine.munro catherine.munro [catherine.munro@sympatico.ca]\You two are just too cute!  Love the cover story.  Love Catherine xo

ANNE SCHULTZ [anewchapter@rogers.com]    What a beautiful picture of the two of you!  I hope they gave you a copy you could have.  Love, Annie

Mari Jo de Waal [dewaalmj@shaw.ca]What a fantastic story – and photo – about your wonderful art and relationship!  John & I wish you escalated success from this coverage. I think I mentioned to Wendy on one of our recent phone conversations, but just to reiterate, we have your paintings in prominent spaces in our home. Several are of Venice, as you may or may not recall, so we have reminders of one of our most beloved places one earth, as well as warm thoughts of you both surrounding us daily.   Much, much love   MJ & John
 artagallery@gmail.com; on behalf of; Arta Gallery [info@artagallery.ca]   Hello Michael,  Congratulations! Keep up with the amazing your you make, Arta Gallery is very happy to have your striking pieces on display.
Say hi to Wendy for us as well!     Best, Victor

a few more of the many comments back: 

ewa.engman ewa.engman [ewa.engman@sympatico.ca]   What a lovely article – as you are aware we have a lot of your pictures and when we sit in the conservatory we look at the carousel – one of our favourites.

I do not know whether you remember but when we moved into the house we were not sure what to do about the stairway up to the 1st floor anyway what we did is some photos of our trips – and we now have a nice collection and when we go up the stairs it brings back a lot of memories.

You are catching up to us with anniversaries this year we will be celebrating our 44 – can’t believe where the time flies    Take care   Ewa & George

 

Hi Micheal, What a great article! I really enjoyed reading about you and Wendy, and knowing a bit about your process. It is nice to hear about your collaborations with taking the views and all of what you do together. Not many of us have that .

Love, love, love your work. I hope to have one someday!! Congratulations on being in this magazine. Nice to see the recognition and promotion and the positivity. Cathy Groulx

 

Hello Michael,  Congratulations! Keep up with the amazing your you make, Arta Gallery is very happy to have your striking pieces on display.
Say hi to Wendy for us as well!

Best, Victor  (ARTA Gallery)

 

AWESOME,  great article and a great person.  You both look just great. 

I came to Canada in 1950 from the UK. though not quite the same experience as you.

I am not as accomplished as you but I cannot stop.    GREAT,  loved it.in friendship Pamela Meacher

thank you thank you thank you micheal and wendy for sending this to me

– as we’ve never actually met, it’s GREAT to see faces to go with names!  and it is such an honor to know such talented artists and to actually own your work (if that is really possible).   Pat Edwards

Oh my goodness !!! Mr Z!!! this is incredible! and the picture of you and wendy is the best!!! so beautiful!   Carrie Shibinsky

  mailto:oksanashabotynsky@hotmail.com]   What an absolutely fantastic review! I bet you will have many buyers after they read this. Do you have an agent? It would be great if a high end hotel commissioned your work.   Oksana
Nora Guinane [nora.guinane@sympatico.ca]  Beautiful photo of you and Wendy.  Great article about your art.   Nora
Michael Dufresne [mgerard@sympatico.ca]   Congratulations, M and W!! Great article. Love the photograph of the two of you. If you have a high resolution copy as jpeg, or tiff, and don’t mind sharing, I would love to have a copy to print out.  M

 William Willard [wwillard@integrated-media.net]   What a wonderful portrait of you two.  And the timing is good.  Congrats Bill

 

Hello Micheal congratulations on these amazing article!  Beautiful photo of you two!  How is Wendy doing?   Boy you are a hard worker

 claudette losier [claudette.losier@hotmail.com]     when I grow up I want to work as hard on my art as you do!  Maybe this year I can work on my art full time?*^^&%^%$$$$$  I will have to visit your home studio some day!  I wont be doing the Toronto Outdoor this year going to LA with Ron for guru Convocation!   GOing to have to miss the Oakville event too!  Om bliss, claudette