Polly Palecek's October exhibit in both of the front windows at the Corner Gallery lays truth to her claim that "I like variety." It is a wildly varied and eclectic retrospective of what has kept her entertained and busy painting over the past years, including portraits, landscapes and still lifes.

 

Polly has always been an artist. She notes that she was identified as an "artist" early in school in the Midwest. She used her art as a means, as she describes it, to "gain a personal identity." She started out with a drawing pad that her mother gave her to keep her quiet in church and progressed to participating in drawing challenges in junior high school, where students went to other schools to compete in drawing contests and were given a choice of descriptive phrases to illustrate. She explains, "I believe this developed my imagination and my ability to derive images from text."

 

Currently Polly is much more likely to use photographs as resources for her painted images, but she uses her physical and emotional attraction to that image to inspire her. She states that oil painting makes her happy and centers her. In her words, "It is my meditation. I was an art major early on at Illinois State at Normal but it wasn't until my obligation to raising a family and focusing on my career were behind me that I was able to fully attend to painting, which was upon my retirement more than ten years ago. My reintroduction to painting came in the form of classes, which I continue to this day. I take private classes, workshops through the Mendocino Art Association, classes at Mendocino College, and even icon classes at a local monastery."

An exhibit of Polly's icons will be on display at the Talmage Road Savings Bank from October to January. 

 

One of Polly's favorite pieces in her Corner Gallery show is a large realistic still life of a corner in her kitchen. Polly says, "To me it conveys my love for my home and the security I find there." She elaborates on that feeling, "I not only paint because it makes me happy but because I also love sharing my paintings through classes, exhibits, and sales. Why wouldn't an artist be happy when someone says I must have that painting, that it will make them or someone else happy!"

 

So, Polly smiled in conclusion, "Be happy...make art, buy art, enjoy art! I plan on it!"

 

Polly's front window show will open on First Friday, October 1, at the Corner Gallery  (201 State St) between 5 and 8pm and continue through the month. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 11 to 5.                  written by Laura Fogg