Stone Series
This series of works is a reaction to the world that exists in the shadow of the current global pandemic and existential threats to our planet like climate change. The unsettling times of social isolation and limited ability to go places has allowed for long periods of reflection and visualization of these dream like landscapes.
These paintings depict an escape through internal landscape of subconsciousness, where the abstract scale and setting of the stones allow a window into a world which depicts both the real and imaginary landscape elements. The stones can be seen as little pebbles on the beach or as huge minerals floating in space. The cosmic elements in the paintings remind us that there are infinite possibilities and freedoms that come with being a part of something so vast and limitless.
The stones depicted in the paintings were once jagged and sharp as a result of the trauma they have received in the past but now they have been smoothed and rounded by time and erosion. Just as our anxieties can be smoothed through the journey of learning as we age and accept not being able to control many aspects of our lives. At the same time there is always a glimmer of hope in the darkest of times. One can choose to move towards that light, depicted in the paintings as shimmering stars and lines made with gold leaf and ink.
Bio
Justyna Dawidowicz is a contemporary landscape and figurative artist currently based in Ottawa, Canada. After leaving her native Poland in 1994, Justyna moved to Montreal where she obtained a bachelor in Fine Arts at Concordia University, specializing in Painting and Drawing. She exhibited in Montreal galleries such as Belgo, Art Mur and VAV gallery. In 2013 Justyna moved to Brooklyn, New York where she continued her art practice at a Brooklyn Navy Yard studio. In 2017 Justyna moved to Ottawa where her work was honoured with the Best Regional Artist Award from the Ottawa Art Gallery.
Aside from working on her own art, Justyna has been spreading the love of art-making in diverse healthcare settings. Between 2008 and 2013, Justyna worked at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, engaging people in art and curating patient art exhibitions. Here Justyna became inspired by Outsider Art and developed an interest in process-based art-making. From 2014-2016 Justyna worked as an Artist in Residence at an oncology unit at the Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York.
