Artlink is pleased to present the solo exhibition Contours in Wood by Norman Ziolkowski.

Please join us for the opening reception on Thursday, May 2nd from 5-8 pm!

Countours in Wood

My educational background in the arts is in music, and my goal as a wood sculptor is to imitate the uplifting effect on the human soul that music frequently produces. Over my lifetime, I have visited many art museums, and often upon leaving, I did so with an uncanny inner serenity and a heightened awareness of human expression and creativity. The overall effect, at least for me, was similar to experiencing a live, exquisitely performed, musical composition. It is my goal as a sculptor to reproduce this therapeutic effect.

Various characteristics define my work. Symmetry, precise geometry, repeated motifs, contrast between vertical and horizontal, are a few of the design elements that I frequently apply. In the end, I strive to generate in the beholder appreciation, not only for my work and the inherent beauty of wood, but also for the instinctive creativity unique to our human species.

About the Artist

Norman Ziolkowski grew up in Toledo, Ohio. His first aspiration in the arts came in 1967,when music and the piano ignited his passion. Over the next fourteen years, he pursued a career as a musician, and, studying part time, he completed a bachelor of music degree in jazz performance. Four years later, however, rheumatoid arthritis in his wrists ended his ambition as a pianist.

In the years following, he continued to support himself by his fall-back trade (industrial wood pattern making) until a diminishing job market and worsening arthritis caused him to seek a non-manual means of employment. For the latter part of his career, he worked as CAD technician.

Recently, further arthritic damage compelled him to seek help, and subsequent surgery on both wrists restored his ability to work with his hands.

Visual art first caught his attention in college, and afterward it continued to interest him greatly. Often, while shaping and assembling wood patterns, he envisioned one day using his skills to make sculpture.

Reconstructive surgery has enabled him to pursue his new passion. Although he has no formal training in visual art, he considers his education highly relevant. His artistic sensitivity acquired through years of studying music, and his professionally proven woodworking skills, have both equipped him for creating sculpture. He now lives and makes art in Fort Wayne, Indiana.