Inside Art with Paula Izydorek
by Dan Greeson
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of Art with Altitude.
Painter Paula Izydorek’s artistic journey spans from her upbringing in rural Michigan, to the metropolitan art scenes of California, New York, Ohio and Florida, to her new home in Craig, Colorado. In this interview, Paula delves into her artistic evolution, inspirations, creative process and advice to young burgeoning creatives.
DAN GREESON: What path did you take to reach your singular style of woodgrain paintings?
PAULA IZYDOREK: When I first started working with woodgrain, it was important to me to collaborate with the woodgrain of the surface. I became obsessed with that process. I thought I was going to work with it for the rest of my life. But after a while, I realized I was lacking risk in my work. It was so fulfilling, but it got too safe. So I decided to add texture to my style. I went as far as creating faux frames around my work with paints, sculpting the edges of the work. Once I opened myself up to that new technique, I went crazy—texture became my jam. The work pushes, literally, the boundaries of the surface, [it] becomes sculptural. I’m reacting to surface markings and patterns developed on the woodgrain. I’m building from one layer to the next, and the layers are forming the next move for me as an artist. The first lap over the surface informs the second lap, and the third lap, and so on.
DG: Nature appears as a theme throughout your work. Where did that inspiration originally come from, and how do you incorporate it?
PI: I can’t not be a part of nature, you know what I mean? It’s who I am. Being raised on a farm like I was, your friends are the leaves and the creeks nearby because you’re spending a lot of time meandering through nature. I was born into nature. The sky’s the limit with nature—there are no boundaries. You can keep exploring and allowing things to unfold, because that’s what nature does. Nature is both chaotic and organized at the same time. I love that. There’s just so much contrast, but it’s all purposeful and it’s intertwined. Nature doesn’t ever judge. I’m constantly blown away by how perfect nature is, how honest nature is, and I’m really inspired by how it just evokes so much emotion and curiosity.
DG: What does your creative process look like?
PI: A lot of my process happens after I’ve traveled somewhere, or I have these “downloads” of something very inspiring. In 2017, I drew inspiration from walking through a bamboo forest in Maui. I took pictures of mushrooms and I came back and I played with those photos, removing all of the recognizable imagery, and just using the lines in the forms to do a body of work. It gets really loose from there. I never really know what the final piece will look like. It’s about starting with a little bit in mind and then free-flowing until my ideas get stuck. Sometimes I have to surrender to the pure potentiality of it, like, “It’s gonna end up somewhere, so let’s just keep pushing it and see where it goes.” When I get to that situation, I might go work on a separate piece, and then the problem will start to resolve itself. And in that way, all my pieces are kind of connected. Each body of work is a foundation, even if it doesn’t look anything like the next body of work.
DG: How do you want audiences to connect with your work?
PI: I hope what draws the viewer in is a curiosity to react with the piece, to look at it closer instead of just walking by. Maybe there’s something in the work that touches them in a conscious way, or maybe they have a visceral experience and there’s a teeny bit of my piece that gets stuck in them a little bit. Maybe they’ll have a big, dynamic interaction with the piece, or a personal narrative they can identify with.
DG: Do you have a favorite piece you’ve created?
PI: My favorite piece is usually the one that I’m working on. I don’t tend to hang my own artwork up in my home. Some people might be like, ‘This is the prize winner. I’m keeping this one forever. I’m never selling it.’ But I’d sell anything I’ve ever made. I’m not attached to the work. Once I sell a piece, the work has served its purpose, and it’s part of the painting’s evolution to be where it belongs.
DG: Which artist particularly inspires you?
PI: Hung Liu. She recently passed away, but she was one of the first artists where I really felt like, “Finally I get to have a favorite artist.” Every time I see her work, there’s such a connection. I don’t emulate her style at all, but I admire it. I’m slightly jealous of how she was able to create in a way that’s really articulate and soulful. She could illustrate and draw like there’s no tomorrow, but then she would break the rules and do free-flowing elements. She’s spectacular.
DG: What activity can readers try at home to connect with your creative process?
PI: Pay homage to or reproduce an artwork, image or process which varies greatly from your style. Get out of your comfort zone and see what transpires. It doesn’t have to be precise or held onto, but hopefully it’s at least educational. I dare you to show up to your creative practice daily for an hour. After a short period of time the hour flies by, and one wishes they had more hours to express and explore. Put aside all templates, computer printouts, and reference materials and tune into your inner guide without judgment. Allow something—anything—to come into fruition, focus on the exploration, and see what you discover. There may be a breakthrough or it can be a warm-up activity to enjoy before returning to your favorite artistic style.
DG: What advice would you give to aspiring artists?
PI: Every single person has a unique voice, and your unique voice has to be exercised. Allow that unique voice to come through and trust yourself to tune into that internal voice. Create without boundaries. Whatever you learned in your foundational experience as an artist, never let that be your limit. Be willing to break the rules, and you can always go back to what you know if you don’t like it. Be curious like a child when it comes to creating.
Elevate the Arts: See Paula Izydorek’s upcoming solo exhibition, Improv-cess, at the Depot Art Center in July 2024, with an opening reception at the July 5 First Friday ArtWalk. View her work at paulaizydorek.com and connect with her through Instagram(@paula_izydorek) or Facebook (paulaizydorekstudio). DG
