A traditional subject depicted in a highly contemporary way through the use of multiple layers of paint and glaze.

Horizon-24x24
Purple-Veil-30x30
Distant-River-24x24
Aqua-24x24
Purple-Sunset
Distant-Horizon-II-29x33
Early-Spring-35x39
Trees-by-the-River-38x43
Distant-Horizon-23x23
Bend-of-the-River-12x12
Sienna-Landscape-23x26
Misty-Morning-18x18
Hues-of-Winter-30x35
Last-Light-45x50
End-of-Summer-50x50

[Show slideshow]
Andrzej Skorut was born in 1969 in Krakow, Poland. This thousand-year old city in Eastern Europe, with its impressive architecture, fine museums and abundant works of art, is where Andrzej spent his early years. Such intensely aesthetic surroundings undoubtedly had a profound influence on Andrzej, who began painting at a very early age and had already decided to pursue a career as an artist by the time he finished elementary school. Despite fierce competition for places, Andrzej was accepted into the Art High School (Liceum Sztuk Plastycnych) whose stringent artistic standards stimulated his interest still further.

In 1987 Andrzej immigrated to the United States, where he qualified for an “Honors at Entrance” Scholarship to the Salt Lake Community College to continue with his art education. From there he transferred to the University of Utah where he was a PHI Kappa member, graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts.

Shortly afterwards, Andrzej was selected for an internship with David Dornan, a member of the art faculty at the University of Utah. This internship, a period of three months’ intense painting under David’s direct supervision was unquestionably a key factor in determining Andrzej’s future. Inspired and encouraged, he returned to Salt Lake, rented a studio, and began painting full-time.

Education:

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, BFA in Painting, PHI Kappa

Professional Experience

1994-96 Taught oil painting class at Cottonwood Community School, UT

1995 Conducted painting workshop at University of Utah, LaSal, UT

1995 Interned with David Dornan (professional artist), Helper, UT

Exhibitions:

2002 Three-Person Exhibition, Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID

2001 Three-Person Exhibition, Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID

2000 Three-Person Exhibition, Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID

1999 Three-Person Exhibition, Kneeland Gallery, Ketchum, ID

Bountiful Art Center Annual Statewide Competition, Bountiful, UT. “First Place”. Jurors: Susan Baskoff, Director, Nevada State Council on the Arts, Allen Dodworth, Allan Dodworth Fine Art Appraisal

One Man Exhibition, Artworks Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT

“Bold Landscapes”, One Man Show, Sandy Library, Sandy, UT

“Springville Salon”, Springville Museum, Springville, UT

“UT’96: Painting and Sculpture”, Springville, UT. Jury: James F. Cooper, Director of Cultural Studies, The Newington-Corpsey Foundation, New York, NY, Deborah E. Solon, William Karges Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA. “Juror’s Award” and “Traveling Exhibition Program Award”

“Affair in the Garden”, Beverly Hills, CA. Juried “Third Place in Painting”

1996 “State of Art UT ‘96”, Gallery East, College of Eastern Utah, Price, UT

1995 “UT Masters”, Southam Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT

1995 “Invited Artist”, Salt Lake Art Festival, Salt Lake City, UT

1994 “Student/Faculty Show”, University of UT Union Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT. Juried “1stPlace in Painting”

1994 Solo Exhibition, Hall Side Gallery, University of UT Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT

1992 Gittens Gallery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

1990 Utah State Fair Art Show, “Best of Show” in Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT

1989 Exhibition on Capitol Hill: received letter of thanks from Gov. Norman H. Bangerter, Salt Lake City, UT

1989 Blue Mouse Exhibition, Salt Lake City, UT

1989 Springville All-State High School Art Show, “One Year Traveling Exhibition in Utah” award

Workshops

1995,’96 Painting workshop in Helper associated with University of Utah

1994 Painting workshop in LaSal associated with University of Utah

Scholarships

1994 Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Ellington Scholarship

1993 Florence Ware Endowment Scholarship

1990 Art Department Scholarship

1989 Honors at Entrance Scholarship to Salt Lake Community College

Collections (partial listing):

Health Rider Inc., UT, David Johnson, UT, Stephanie Fine MD, UT, Victoria Olson,

WY, Peter Douglas Molyneux, England, Janet Forticq, CA, Al and Beth Belt, UT,

Gastronomy Inc. UT

Bibliography

The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT, March 8, 1998, page D 10

“Utah Painting and Sculpture”, Gibbs Smith Publisher, Salt Lake City, UT, 1997, p.274

“Painting as an Adventure”, The Sandy News, Sandy, UT. June 1997, p.9

The Event, Salt Lake City, UT. April 1007, p.17

“European Artist Displays Paintings in Hallside Gallery”, Pulse, Salt Lake City, UT. 

Andrzej Skorut Statement 

Although my paintings initially appear to be simple landscapes, further study shows them to be as abstract as they are representational. It is this combination that inspires me. I believe in the importance of the immediate visual impact of a painting-a recognizable image, a combination of colors, or the overall composition. Yet I also believe that deeper, truer meanings should lie beneath the surface, giving the viewer the opportunity to embark on a personal voyage of discovery. It is my aim to make this journey as stimulating as possible by my own techniques of employing complex processes to apply the paint. This leads to many different levels of interpretation, allowing a simple landscape to take on a new identity within a complex framework of abstractions.

Landscapes dominate the subject matter of my work, simply because they have always surrounded my life. Using the landscape as a filter, I bring to my paintings anything and everything that excites me, whether this is a new combination of colors, the composition of different elements, or the interrelationship between many different aspects of the painting. Drawing from my life experiences in Poland, Utah and other places I have traveled to, my paintings are a union of diverse landscapes and the changing emotions that they evoke.

The essence of my painting lies in the method of creation, a method that is both direct and indirect, and that entails applying the paint, then glaze, then repeating the process until I have achieved the desired effect. I like to scratch into the layers of paint with sticks, rags or other implements to reveal the concealed depths. I am always looking for new ways of applying paint-for me brushes and palette knive3s alone are too limiting and speak too clearly of the process involved. I like to include materials that leave interesting marks on the surface of the painting, marks that are as interesting in themselves as what they represent.

Several years ago when painting in Southern Utah, a storm came, bringing with it spectacular dramatic light. After thirty minutes, the images that emerge in canvas were much more than a flat representation of the scene before me. Somehow, it spoke of the relationship of one tree standing isolated on the horizon, surrounded by the flatness of the fields. The solitariness of the tree was a stark contrast to my youth in Poland, where I was always aware of the trees creating positive and negative shapes against the land and the sky. The impact of that day and the rarity of trees have led to a recurring theme in my painting. I enjoy inserting one tree, or several into different landscapes to see what effect they have on the image and the mood created by the painting. Increasingly, I love to explore the potential of air perspective, which can be dramatic in Utah because of the lack of humidity. I enjoy the challenge of adding new pictorial space, creating distances that hazily challenge the viewer to form new visions of far off places. My work continues to evolve as I continue to respond on new levels to the artistic challenges of my work and to the ever-changing environment around me.