A Magda Moment

There are moments when we face a remembered or imagined scene and drink in its details. Whittling it down to black and white, it becomes simple shapes, an austere form on a backdrop. Sometimes then, we can better grasp the layers of sentiment that surround an exchange of ideas, a daydream or a painful experience.

Bravely, Magda Trzaski has shown me this in her "Black Iris" creations.

Magda’s works are moments frozen. Compelling in their starkness, they beg a closer look, then another. Her cats, rabbits, birds, and skeleton-like snow folk are displayed under glass like curiously forestalled activity. Balloons float mid-air and balls hover mid-juggle as her creatures balance in a limbo of thought and activity.

I find her pieces simply alluring in their form, and utterly thought provoking in story. While Magda is influenced by the 17th century Dutch vanitas painters who deftly reminded us of our mortality through their heavily symbolic still-lifes, she is also intrigued by the Victorians’ obsession with paraphernalia and collections. These influences and themes are echoed in our pop culture by the likes of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey, with their allusions to the afterlife and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures through black comedy and imagery.

Fate's twisted thread brought Magda to my attention. An e-mail with one attached image was enough to send me on the hunt. Never mind that it took many pleading conversations and almost 2 years to convince her to create her work for me to sell here in the States. And so thanks to Robert Tonner, Lynn Johsnton (did you even know you made this happen by shopping for a gift in Toronto) and of course my special pal and assistant Michelle Hodge...whose fabulous taste and great judgement never end.

Be sure to crack open the current issue of Mary Engelbreit's "HOME Companion" for a wonderful piece on Magda as this month's Artist Workshop. And join me in celebrating those frozen moments; that invigorate, question and invite emotions closer to the surface. We might just be brave enough to acknowledge them in our appreciation for Magda's style and art form.

xxoo Jen O'Connor

Earth Angels

ps I meet Magda for the first time in 2 days...I will be picking her up at the San Francisco airport with Nicky Bowen and Laurie Meseroll. We'll be making the drive to Petaluma to drink in all there is at "Halloween & Vine"... I will keep you posted on our adventures! memento mori baby...