Spirit of the Winter Moon. Ken Czarnomski, artist
By Gina Malone
To visit Ken Czarnomski’s studio in Waynesville is to step into the Southern Appalachians as rendered with a naturalist’s eye for color, line and detail. “My art originates with questions that cross my mind about how the natural world is structured,” says Czarnomski who immerses himself in nature, then proceeds scientifically as well as artistically to create work that educates and promotes awareness.
He grew up in Detroit where, he says, “the natural world was a distant drive into the country.” He began sketching in grade school, inspired by illustrated children’s books. “My Detroit education back then was parochial and art was seen as a waste of time and never taught in class,” he says.
Blackrock Mountain. Ken Czarnomski, artist
“We were raised in a neighborhood where all the folks worked in auto factories. It was expected that we would, too.” His parents, first-generation Americans, often took him to the Detroit Institute of Arts. “Although neither painted or sculpted, they wanted my siblings and me to be educated in the arts, culture and history of the world,” he says. “It worked; I respect that effort to this day.”
Czarnomski went on to attain degrees in architectural engineering and architecture and enjoyed a successful career as an architect, but the future of the world at large began to nag at him. “I retired and went back to school and took the natural sciences and after I was credentialed as a Blue Ridge Naturalist, I wanted to find a way to combine what I had learned and to develop it into a product that would give something, and the maps were a way to be able to do that,” he states in a short video that Keen® footwear made in 2019 for its YouTube Channel.
“I have lived long enough to witness the environmental impact on the natural world, which encourages me to work with conservancies to help protect and promote more caretaking of our precious resources,” Czarnomski says. Since 2013, he has worked with regional 501(c)(3) organizations. He provides his services as an illustrator, writer, cartographer and educational trail guide—and often does so pro bono. “My request in return is simple: organizations (especially non-profit) will publish and disperse the information free of charge to local interests and visitors to educate and raise awareness of our WNC environmental resources and opportunities,” he says. More than 10,000 illustrated copies of his work are distributed annually.
Marker Tree and Cherokee. Ken Czarnomski, artist
“Ken Czarnomksi has a very unique skillset,” says Julie Schott, development director for Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. “His understanding of and love for our natural world are the secret ingredients that make his art truly inspiring. As a land conservation organization, connecting community with our lands is vital to our mission and the hand-drawn trail guide maps that Ken is helping us to create are wonderful tools for this.”
His topographic maps include detailed renderings of wildlife, flora, trails, panoramic views and natural history sites. “These illustrated maps are accompanied by my scripted articles (on the backside) which cover our environment and history along with poetry, local stories and lore,” Czarnomski says. “Unlike backpacking maps, the purpose of these maps and illustrations is to engage people and create interest through an enticement which draws the reader into involving themselves and their families in the excitement of further exploration.”
To create the maps, he uses watercolors, inks and colored pencils. “It takes me hours of research to build a catalog of useful information before story boarding the final visual product,” he says. “This is especially true for mapping which demands accuracy and several visits to a particular area. Some of the journaling I do is collected over a period of years. For this reason, I use computers, GPS hardware, satellite surveys, topographic maps, printing/copying services and software programs, in addition to the standard painting supplies. The out-of-pocket expense is high, but is well worth the expense in our future.”
Summer Drama. Ken Czarnomski, artist
In 2020, he developed LAIR (Layered Art Image Rendering), his own approach to creating. “This hand-drawn and digital combination is produced by rendering art that is then refined digitally, removed from the computer and hand worked again to repeat the process using watercolor, pen and ink, and other traditional media, producing layers (often as many as 50) that give the final rendition an unparalleled depth and refinement,” he says. “Archival inks and traditional high-quality art techniques create this unique method that provides gallery quality and longevity.”
His artwork is represented by Twigs & Leaves Gallery, in Waynesville. “Ken’s passion for both art and the environment is truly infectious, and he has a remarkable way of inspiring others to explore and appreciate the great outdoors,” says gallery manager Tiffani Watts. “His work doesn’t just capture the beauty of nature; it calls people to experience it for themselves.”
See the video Ken Czarnomski: The Naturalist on Keen’s YouTube channel. Ken’s studio is located at the Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Avenue, Waynesville. Learn more at TwigsAndLeaves.com.
