photo: Paul Schlishmann
| In school, Jözef Sumichrast gained immediate recognition for his talent and always had an audience for his work. This led to an education at the American Academy of Art. His career started as a painter and this is where he made his first sales. He is self-taught as a sculptor.
Sumichrast gained an appreciation for art from opposites -- the symbolic scribbles of Jackson Pollock and the Americana figurative work like Norman Rockwell. But surprisingly, Sumichrast's work is a departure from both of these well-known artists.
He likens his technique to a mechanical drawing -- flat and lacking a vanishing point. It is something associated with a draftsman.
Next, he moved into the three-dimensional world as a sculptor while retaining his two-dimensional perspective. His sculptures are created by bending an object, an approach so unique that his work is immediately recognizable.
Sumichrast started using his unique perspective to create horses in 1995.
The ideas come from boyhood experiences at horse races. He also watched horses carry their riders through surf with the animal's legs hidden below the surface. When the water was deep, Sumichrast visualized them as suspended.
All of these experiences led him to create an exceptional and spectacular display at the Loveland Museum of Art that will run through Sept. 18.
His work depicting horses took three years to complete.
Sumichrast's work has been in galleries from New York City to Chicago to Santa Fe. His work has also been shown at several museums.
Some of his work is on permanent display such as "Large Narrow Horse" at the train station in Highland Park, Ill., and "Narrow Horse" in downtown Chicago. His website is jozef.com. |
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Artist Jözef Sumichrast stands by his work titled "Narrow Horses 2." Sumichrast's work will be on display at the Loveland Museum until Sept. 18. (Special to the Reporter- Herald/Kenneth Jessen)
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To hear the artist discuss his work, call