Wysocki's Paintings Depict Gentler Times

-- KIRKLAND

Charles Wysocki, Americana artist, exhibit to Nov. 30 and appearance tomorrow, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Howard/Mandville Gallery, 120 Park Lane, Suite D, Kirkland; 889-8212.

Pssst.

Can you keep a secret?

There's a surprise birthday party planned for artist Charles Wysocki at the Howard/Mandville Gallery in Kirkland tomorrow evening, and admirers of his Americana paintings are invited.

The celebration was planned when gallery owners learned Wysocki's appearance would coincide with his 62nd birthday, said gallery director Pat Howard.

If sales of his calendars and cards depicting early American life are any indication, the party and exhibit should draw quite a crowd.

``People avidly buy his calendars every year because they like his primitive look at a bygone era,'' said Howard.

Scenes in Wysocki's paintings are influenced by the primitive style of artists such as Grandma Moses, Winslow Homer and N.C. Wyeth, and by his own upbringing.

In ``Lady Liberty's Independence Day: Enterprising Immigrants,'' vibrant red, white and blue banner festoon the home and business of Polish immigrants celebrating the Fourth of July. From the scene's corner, the Statue of Liberty watches from a rainbow.

This painting gives insight into Wysocki's own childhood. He was born and raised in a Polish working-class neighborhood of Detroit but later left to serve in the Army and study at the Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles.

``As time goes on, you'll see his work gets much more sophisticated,'' said Howard.

Three of Wysocki's works from 1986 and 1987 reflect this, each developing a story rather than a single scene.

Northeastern seaboard scenes weave a tale of a young captain's wife. In ``Yearning For My Captain,'' she studies the ocean, a rival for her husband's heart.

Darker clouds, crashing waves and richer details depict a more ominous picture of the wife's fears in ``You've Been So Long At Sea, Horatio.''

A more hopeful return is promised as the wife stands steadfast in the wind, holding her child against a backdrop of blue skies in ``Daddy's Coming Home.''

Many of Wysocki's paintings portray slices of New England, he says, because of the beauty he discovered there while vacationing from his California home. Lighthouses, sand dunes, horse-drawn carriages and northeasters that puff billowing clouds are common in many of his works. He also uses the American flag quite frequently.

One of Wysocki's most recent paintings, ``Dreamers,'' includes all these features. Two young lads - one perched on a rock and peering at sailboats on the sea, the other propped next to a resting dog in an old rowboat - share the same sand dune but separate thoughts.

Christmas themes also make their way into many Wysocki pieces. Collectors of his work look forward to his winter holiday scenes. His latest painting, ``Jingle Bell Teddy and Friends,'' is of a cuddly bear seated beneath at the foot of a fir tree and surrounded by antique Christmas ornaments. The piece is available as a limited-edition print at Howard/Mandville Gallery.

The exhibit will feature a selection of limited-edition prints, and there will be books, cards and calendars for sale.