Although the history behind Szarek's work has its' roots in Claude Monet and Impressionism, Szarek states,"I have been studying, painting and teaching this approach for 30 years. Clarity and focus are needed so students won't be misled . As a result of great painters like Charles Webster Hawthorne and Henry Hensche, the so-called Impressionist movement is evolving.

Szarek has spent much of his earlier years in the 70's and 80's in and around the New England states painting the surrounding areas. His venture to Newfoundland in 1994 to do a series of iceberg studies was the result of an article in American Artist Magazine. "I remember seeing a Frederick Church (1826-1900) painting of icebergs fifteen years ago. Church had sailed north to sketch them and then painted them later in his studio. I wondered what the real colors would look like and ever since then, I thought about painting icebergs myself.

After 15 years of teaching Hensche's color approach, Szarek, at 46 years old, attended the Rhode Island School of Design. He graduated with honors in 1996, having studied in Italy for a year. Based at RISD's Rome campus, Assisi was 3 hours by train. He went often to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi to study the frescos of Giotto, Cimabue and Duccio. Trips to the Uffizzi in Florence, Accademia in Venice and Archaeological Museum in Naples were especially affecting.

The Assisi artist Claudio Carli had, through a RISD connection, offered his studio for 30 days. A one-person show of Szarek's landscape studies in Assisi encompassed 40 paintings done in 30 days, oil on gessoed paper, all with a knife. He allowed himself one sitting, a morning or an afternoon, per piece. "I was seeing how far I could take it in 2 hour spurts, day after day," he said. "I walked to the studio up narrow stone streets every day at dawn,." It was an independent study for RISD, like the iceberg series that he did in 1994.

Since graduating from RISD in 1996, Szarek has been exploring new visual light keys and experimenting with seeing and visual phenomena like his "Dark Air" series, in which he has sought beautiful color combinations in the deepest possible light keys, set up in his studio. Three-dimensional color composition, the rythym of how forms flow together as related to the light, keener visual acuity, the air around objects...to me, they comprise the "new frontier" of realism, which leades to greater possibilities for personal expression.

Living in the high desert of the Southwest is a demanding lifestyle. Migration to New Mexico for Szarek and his wife, Patty, also an artist, was primarily for the vast space and sunlight 300 days a year. Excited by the possibilities for painting, Szarek said, "The sun shows up for days on end. No wonder Georgia O'Keeffe had two studios near here in Abiquiu."

Szarek is represented by two museums, the Cornell Museum in Florida and the Newport Art Museum in Newport, RI. "Whether I'm painting a landscape, portrait or still life, the focus is direct observation from nature, which results in more quality and freshness of color. I've never repeated a color scheme in any of the hundreds of paintings I've done. And as for new color combinations, it is a source of endless facination"

Schools Attended



1996- BFA, Rhode Island School of Design.

1995-96- One year study in Rome, Italy as European Honors Student at Rhode Island School of Design

1973-1978 The Cape School of Art, Provincetown, MA. Studied principles of light, color and form developed by Henry Hensche, heir to color painting principles developed by his teacher, Charles W. Hawthorne.

1969-1970 U.R.I. extension art courses including Drawing I & II with William Klenk, Printmaking with Chris Cordes. RISD extension course in Drawing with Tim Casey, private summer study with Tim Casey.

1966-1967 Studied oil painting with Jose B. David, Angeles City, Philippines.

1964 Graduated from North Kingstown Senior High School, RI

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