Welcome To Karolina’s World

Welcome to our website, dedicated to the memory of our mother, Karolina Danek, and  her artistic legacy. The site contains articles that detail her accomplishments, as well as featuring galleries of paintings and drawings that she created during her lifetime. Enjoy!

Please note that by sheer coincidence there exists elsewhere on this planet a contemporary artist who shares the same name as our mother (but who we assume is unrelated to us). We admire her equally distinctive artwork, wishing her much success on that path!

Found This In A Drawer

DogFace-1-PCFound this today in the back of a desk drawer. It’s on card stock is is roughly 4×5. Took a photo using a smart phone and diffused window light. On the back, it’s hand stamped with her name, Caribou ME address and phone number.

You can see pencil sketch marks underneath the color which looks like it may have been some kind of markers.

At the deCordova Museum

As mentioned in the About section of this website…as part of the Folk Art scene that was becoming popular in the 80’s and 90’s, her paintings were displayed at the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA in their 1988 show, Stories To Tell: The Narrative Impulse In New England Contemporary Folk Art.

Karolina was always trying to promote herself and her work. In those pre-internet days it’s somewhat miraculous that it happened, but likely through the friends she had made in the art world, she was asked to participate in an exhibit related to folk art. This was certainly a step up for her as the deCordova is a well respected museum on the outskirts of Boston.

She displayed five of her paintings:

  • Black Madonna (c 1970’s) – oil with beads and gem stones on canvas
  • The Marriage Feast At Cana (1984) – oil with beads and colored stones on canvas
  • A Bishop Saint (1987) – oil with beads and colored stones on canvas
  • Hapsburg, Queen of Austria (1987) – oil with beads and colored stones on canvas
  • Madonna and Child (1988) – oil with beads and gem stones on canvas

At the reception, you could tell how happy she was to be getting this kind of attention and recognition. She talked to anyone who would listen, and undoubtedy she extended invitations to come visit her at her home (which was her studio and gallery).