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Homepage > Press Releases > CHESAPEAKE CHAMBER MUSIC SELECTS ARTWORK FOR 2014 FESTIVAL POSTER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Don Buxton 410 819-0380 or
January 7, 2014 Amy Steward 410 829-0436
Award-winning artist Geraldine Czajkowski of Grasonville, MD, is moved by nature’s abstractions. Interpretations of the universe and natural phenomena are the underlying thread in her organic paintings, and texture is the vehicle. Her artwork was recently selected by Chesapeake Chamber Music (CCM) for use as the poster image and theme for the 2014 Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival to be held June 1 to 15, 2014.
According to Margaret Welch, CCM Board member who coordinated the contest to select the artwork for this year’s festival poster, “The lines of Geraldine’s painting suggest the beauty of the Bay and the rivers in this area – the movement of the wind, sails against the sky, and the motion of the water. The image reflects the unique environment of our annual Festival.”
Czajkowski has been painting her backyard overlooking Prospect Bay for 20 years, inspired by the beauty of the scenery. While her art often interprets the Eastern Shore themes of sailing and the outdoors, her abstract roots go back to her childhood. She recalls, “In second grade our teacher played Rachmaninoff and asked us to paint to the music – to close our eyes and let our emotions guide our tempera paint and to imagine what the music communicated to us. My interpretation was a splattered mess of perhaps fish in the sea – my first abstract.”
After studying for five years with a local Bethesda artist, Czajkowski majored in fine art at Ohio University and was encouraged to express emotion on canvas. She held a 26-year career in patent illustration and art direction in Washington, DC and Arlington, VA. Drawn to the Abstract Expressionism of America’s New York School, her abstract clay monoprints are one-of-a-kind paintings on fabric. Just as oil painters use oil paint on canvas, the clay painter uses colored fluid, wet clay, called “slip” on a flat hard, dried clay “slab,” then transfers the image onto fabric. The result is called a “hand-pulled print.” Her colorful paintings have been received regional and national acclaim. Her work is represented by Cottage Studio and Gallery in Easton.
Czajkowski’s artwork will be used on the Festival’s publicity materials, including the Festival poster, flyers, print and online advertising, event programs and the CCM website. In addition, the painting will be auctioned at the CCM Gala on March 8, 2014. The Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival will be held in various Mid-Shore locations from June 1 through June 15, 2014. For further information, visit ChesapeakeChamberMusic.org, or call the CCM office at 410-819-0380.
CUTLINE: Pictured are Margaret Welch, chairman of the CCM Poster Competition; Mike Bracy, president of CCM; artist Geraldine “Gerry” Czajkowski of Grasonville; Bernice Michael, chairman of the CCM Festival, and Don Buxton, executive director of Chesapeake Chamber Music. Czajkowski’s artwork was recently selected by Chesapeake Chamber Music for use as the poster image and theme for the 2014 Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival.
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