Ooky

During the fall, Westfield, NJ, offers a unique perspective into the past with a nighttime silhouettes of historical landmarks outlined with the orange hue of spooky Halloween decorations. This is where former home of renowned cartoonist Charles Addams lies, along with the contrasting stately Victorian mansions that lead to the beguiling downtown cemetery, all creating a connection to the lives of the buried inhabitants. Through this series of oil paintings, drawings, and digital images, I explore this contrast using the themes of both fear and bliss, and how they entwine with childhood memories. Twisted, personified shadows in lively playrooms, terrifyingly human-like dolls, and bouquets of beautiful flowers accompanied by deathly moths.

Painted with oils on raw linen, desaturated and washed in somber colors, this body of work explores the contrast between bliss and fear. Joanna M. Wezyk evokes the shadows and the soul of dark and spooky interiors, using new technology media to add ultra-bright lighting effects. Wezyk was inspired by the word ooky from the popular Addams’ Family song: They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky. The Addams Family (...)
Jason Golberg “OOky, Between the Shadows and the Soul”, November 2017