Kristof Kosmowski: Following the muse December 22 2024, 0 Comments
By Kimberly Nicoletti
Kristof Kosmowski is one of those artists who follows the muse, and lately, that has come in the form of his recent home and studio in Crestone.
He and his wife have been building their dream home at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Range. The Crestones, a group of 14,000-plus-foot peaks, inspire him so much that he continues to paint different versions of the views outside his studio — the first part of the home the couple completed.
“Every day, it’s a different lighting and environment; there are different clouds, or snow melting or coming,” he says, adding that various colors, from the sky to mountains, as well as the changing seasons, strike him.
He likens his devotion of painting the same vistas in Crestone again and again to that of Claude Monet painting scenes of his garden in Giverny.
“It’s a kind of study,” he says, talking about his multi-acre property with views of the San Miguel, Sangre de Christo and San Isabel mountains. “I can see all of the mountains. Every turn of the head is different every day.”
In addition to his studio opening to stunning views, he just finished creating a cross-country track around his, and his cousin’s, property to take in the snowy views even more.
He describes the quiet of the approximately 160-resident southern Colorado town as a quality he needs to concentrate on his painting. But his neighbors, comprised of professional authors, musicians and artists, as well as spiritual devotees from a variety of faiths, also help inspire him; once or twice a week, many of them gather to play music or otherwise socialize.
“It’s about the energy here,” he says, describing Crestone as a spiritual vortex that, similar to stories of the Hawaiian islands, either kick you out or take you in.
That energy has not only taken Kristof in, but also deeply inspired him.
“Artists find these places that mean the world to them, and they want to share that beauty. It is that sacred to them. It’s meant to be explored and seen again and again and again,” Brian says.
Whether artists alter the landscape or render it more photo-realistically, they soulfully delve into their creations. That passion translates to viewers, allowing them to experience the natural environment in a fresh manner. It also offers scenes during times of the day or year that they might not otherwise witness.
That’s the beauty of both artists and muses: They invite viewers to see mountains, rivers or any other natural landscape anew, as if they’re opening their eyes to it for the first time.
“It’s a youthful experience,” Brian says.
Kristof recognizes that some people prefer sunsets over the mountains, while others prefer the winter crispness of snowy peaks, so he continues to paint similar, yet different, landscapes inspired by Crestone. He also realizes that, although the average person registers when it snows or when it’s hot, they don’t tend to slow down and notice the more specific elements in nature — to breathe and listen to the natural world. Art captures that magic, so people can relate to it in their homes daily.
His landscapes, characterized by rich colors, texture and emotional energy, blend Colorado’s beauty with masterful European traditions he studied in his native home of Poland. He takes a modern, expressionistic approach to portraying Colorado’s mountainous landscape, often by placing greater emphasis on color, rather than details. Intermingling layers of colors with Venetian plaster results in a depth and rich vibrancy that sets his paintings apart.
From his engaging integration of texture and color-shifting pigments to his composition, his paintings ultimately come down to exploring — and reminding viewers — how beauty impacts us.
Kristof will be in the Vail gallery Dec. 27-28, so feel free to stop by and hear more about his technique and how nature acts as his muse; his show will be featured through January.