We here at MKE Arts would like to extend a hearty congratulations to Riverwest-based artistTodd Mrozinski who has just received the vaunted and valued position of Artist-in-Residence at the Pfister Hotel. The position wins him the keys to the Pfister’s lobby-level Artist’s Studio for one year.
During his tenure Mrozinski intends to carry out a series of eight large oil paintingsentitled “Light from the Pfister.” Lucky hotel guests will be immortalized inthe works, which will take their point of departure from shadows that Mrozinskiwill trace out of the light that spills through the Pfister’s windows. As thetheme of several past series’ – Shadow Portraits, Bouquet Shadows, WindowsShadows and Tree Shadows – shadows are something of an abiding interest forMrozinski. And they are more than a mere aesthetic fixation, as Mrozinskiwrites in his artist’s statement concerning his Shadow Series:
“The shadowseries started on the one year anniversary of my father's death. Wanting toconnect with him, I started to paint his portrait based off of a black andwhite photo from when he was a young priest. I had not painted a traditionalportrait in years and soon was frustrated. Disgruntled, I laid on the couchuntil my wife entered the studio. She saw the large amount of dark acrylicpaint mixed on the palette and asked if she could cover the canvas so it wouldnot go to waste. I agreed and took a nap. When I woke up, I noticed the warmlight coming in through the front door. I looked out at the tree shadows andrealized, in that instant, what I needed to paint. I took the dark canvas offthe working wall, laid it on the ground, knelt down and traced the tree shadowdirectly onto the canvas. I realized as life is to light, death is to shadows,one cannot be without the other. My dad was showing himself in a different formand I felt his presence profoundly. The shadow series began.”
In addition tocreating his own works, Mrozinski will enrich the artistic lives of Milwaukeeansby offering quarterly painting workshops and developing a video tour of thePfister’s internationally recognized art collection.
A peek into Mrozinski's work and aesthetic philosophy.
