stefan 's Profile

From: Austria
Joined: November 01, 2007

About stefan:

The language of lyrical abstraction interpreted... by Michael Bouger 2008

Stefan Fiedorowicz, a Canadian now residing in Vienna Austria has amassed a most impressive resume with shows spreading out from Canada, United States and Europe. Fiedorowicz's work has often been compared to the great modernists of the past following the notable style of lyrical abstraction, a term meaning an opening to personal expression. While perhaps a compliment, this also seems a disservice to his striking talent.

“The emotion in my work comes from somewhere deep down, and can speak to the inner part of each person... My work is intuitive; colour is the language that I use to express an emotion. It is the interaction of colour that interests me.”

Fiedorowicz possesses something more than a painter following in the footsteps of others before. There is a supreme depth to his work that captures a newer sense of Modernism, something that is sadly missing from the current art scene.

His shapes and lines infuse his paintings with a richly exotic symbolism of style. There is purpose and psychology to his work, conveying a sense of confidence from a broad spectrum of experience.

Fiedorowicz’s distinction as a modern painter is in his grace and amplitude in creating works that are engaging and powerful: They make more than a mark - they make a statement generating alluring and fascinating canvases.

MICHAEL BOUGER is a freelance arts writer.





My images have evolved over many years, from high detail realism, to loose interpretive representation*, to the abstract*, mostly non-representational work I do today. As one mode was satisfied, I moved on to something else that promised more depth. Today, I remain totally challenged by abstract painting and feel that everything that came before was in preparation for the work I do now. Looking back, I can categorize the varying modes as if they changed overnight, but I know it was an unnoticeably slow evolution, which causes me to wonder what might be next. These images are cultivated through his experiences with his own life and cultural history. As reflections of his inner most emotions, he sets a foundation for his viewers to channel their own interpretation, to find their own voice within. Evident in his work is his dedication to the practice of painting, coupled with his passion to exemplify the relationship between the complexity of the human condition and the language presented in the form of the painting. His works retains a visual beauty, with their abstract nature allowing for a fascination with the paint itself. Fiedorowicz’s process of creation is unique and organic. He cannot pinpoint exactly where his inspiration of an object originates, but he focuses more on the muse that comes from the activity of painting. He has a connection with the process of painting with oil. He can paint layer upon layer on a canvas until the colours are thick and he feels he has achieved completion. This internalization sparked by his paintings separate Fiedorowicz’s talent from others.
My concept I am committed to abstraction. Marc Rothko, Paul Klee and Hans Hoffman influenced my artistic endeavours. If I wanted to depict representational reality, I would have chosen photography, but I am a colourist, who uses color to convey something personal and internal. I use texture through oils applied with a scraper to depict emotion. I do not know what my fascination with oils is. It may be how the paint is applied and how it mixes so well on the canvas. My images originate in fragments of personal and cultural history. With allusion and visual suggestion comes artistic meaning. The emotion in my work comes from somewhere deep down, and can speak to the inner part of each person. In the spirit of abstraction, the perceiver is free to interpret each piece as she or he wishes. I’ve found that a good painting is one you can internalize, one in which a given element, or the work as a whole, means something special to you – perhaps in ways you might not admit to another person. During my university years, I studied the history of art and soon discovered my passion for creating art when I began painting colourful oil on canvas. My paintings have an overall gestural and abstract quality. Why I choose certain objects to paint and how I illustrate them is a mystery to me. I do not think about it too much. Certain objects are close to me because of what they mean to me or what they look like, their shape. I simplify them and sometimes combine them into pleasing arrangements. I like working over the canvas surface over and over again because most of the time I am not sure of what I want, especially my abstracts done with thick colourful oils and wall scrapers. For me art is a journey, one step at a time. One word, one drip of paint, one musical note. For me it has always been the journey and not the destination. There is nothing hugely complex in my art. Just getting an idea is very exciting, as I think about certain shapes and their relationship with each other. I can see shapes, colours, lines, etc. and as I work I feel their need to come together in a composition. I will get a snapshot in my mind and the end result often turns out to be something different from what I first hand in mind. I have been working on a series of contemporary European villas which have been referred to as whimsical wonky house’s. They are imaginative images encompassing rich bold colours expressing surreal qualities. My work is intuitive; colour is the language that I use to express an emotion. It is the interaction of colour that interests me. My style involves contrasting aspects of the simplicity of daily life to the complexity of the human condition. Hopefully my work elicits emotional responses and vividly expresses my passion for art and life
I work with these materials Oil, oil and then some oil
What inspires me? If art/painting came easily, if the answers, the solutions, were obvious, I'd find another occupation. It's the challenge that keeps me in the studio, digging around for a better idea, a different technique, a rule to break... that's my idea of a good time. It doesn't come easy for me, and I have to plug away, constantly move paint around even on bad days or good things are just not going to happen.
Favorite work and why I am somewhat selfish. All of my work is my favorite. It is a part of me. But I have been fortunate enough in this life that some people do enjoy my work, it moves them in some way and my work becomes something personal to them so they end up buying them.
My message When you change the way you look at things, the things you see change.


Grand Palais 2011 in Paris, France from March 31, 2011 – April 3, 2011.
Galerie Kandinsky, Vienna Austria Dec 2010, Solo
Marziart International Galerie, Hamburg Germany 2008
St. Dogmaels Gallery, Wales, UK 2008
Schloss Fischau, Viertels Galerie, Austria, August 2007
Portico Gallery, Manchester March 2007
Die Galerie Arsnova, Benefitz Austellung, Innsbruck Dec 2006
Die Galerie Arsnova & Wenisch, Innsbruck, Nov 2006
Agora Gallery, New York City, NY Sept 2006
Blyth Gallery, Manchester, UK 2006
Rendezvous Art Gallery, Vancouver 2005
The Shadow Box Art Gallery, Kamloops, 2005
: Main Street Gallery, Sidney BC 2004
Shuswap Festival of the Arts, 2004
Artists Studio& Gallery, 2004
Kamloops Juried Art Show 2004,
Honourable Mention Kamloops Juried Art Show, 2003
Kamloops Art Gallery Auction Gala Event, Oct. 2003
Kamloops Art Gallery Auction 2002
Kamloops Art Gallery Original Auction Gala Event, 2001
Kamloops Art Gallery Auction Event, Sept 1999

SOLO EXHIBITIONS: Parhamerplatz, Vienna
Galerie Kandinsky, Vienna, 2008
Tullnerbach, Austria December 2007
Gumpoldskirchen, AustriaFeb 2007
Almiro Gallery, Liverpool March 2007
Sargfabrik, Vienna, December 2006-January 2007
Galerie Lackner, Wiener Neustadt, Austria Dec 2006
Galerie Claudiana, Innsbruck, Austria 2006
Galerie Heinrich, Vienna Austria, December 2005
Cunliffe House November 2004 Kamloops BC
Okanagan Wine Festival, Penticton, BC. Oct. 2003
Okanagan Fest of Ales, Pentiction, BC. 2003
Okanagan Wine and Art Festival, Penticton, 2002
Kamloops Art Gallery, Private Solo Exhibition, June 2002
Okanagan Wine and Art Festival, Kelowna 2001
Penticton Okanagan Wine and Art Festival, 2001
Okanagan Wine and Art Festival, 2001
Kamloops Wine and Art Festival, 2001