Michael Krajewski, Artist at Play

By Jillian Owens
August 30, 2013

Upon first meeting Columbia artist, Michael Krajewski, my first thought was

What?  Is this guy for real?

 

As he pulled up to the seat across from me at The Whig, he immediately began talking about his upcoming projects and ideas, eyes blazing with energy with a child-like smile.  When talking to someone so excited by his work, and equally excited by the world around him, it’s hard to tell if they’re genuine, or just being affectedly charming.  When talking to artists, you sometimes have to wonder these things. 

A self-taught artist, Krajewski has been a hit in Columbia’s art and social scene since he landed here a few years ago.  His paintings are are exuberant splash of kinetic energy–playful and intense all at once.  Color and composition come naturally to him, no formal education required.  His brushstrokes are anything but fussy and his work is anything but boring Does this work with my sofa? fare.

He’s one of the newest tenants in the Main Street Arcade, (located at 1332 Main Street) a studio space/ creative haven for some of Columbia’s top artists.

I decided to try and get to know this young artist better and see if he was the real deal.

I know you’ve lived here in Columbia for a while now, but where did you grow up?

I was born in Norwich Connecticut. My father was in the military and met my mother overseas while stationed in Germany. So, we moved around a lot as you can imagine most military families do. I was in Honolulu on Scofield barracks, then to my family’s final destination here in South Carolina on Fort Jackson where my father retired.

Did you like this constant state of change?  Was this difficult for you?

I was the kind of kid that enjoyed anywhere we went, I.mean yeah it is hard to leave friends behind but I looked forward to new adventures and to me moving provided new scenery to use my imagination in meet other kids and learn new things about my fresh surroundings.

And just what kind of kid were you?

I would like to tell you I was attentive, mild mannered, scholastic oriented…but the truth is I was a sensitive, caring, imaginative, mischievous little fella. I think looking back at my childhood it is almost a necessity to get your lumps and fair bit of tiny rebellion out or you wouldn’t learn anything from right and wrong. Kids don’t usually think, Is this going to get me in trouble?.  It usually is spawned from , is this going to be fun?.  Then you react

My webstalking tells me you lived in GA in your early 20’s before coming to Columbia, and that’s where you really started taking your art seriously.  Why here?

I was in Athens then Atlanta. I came back to visit my family and friends. While I was here a close friend of mine was bartending in Five Points and said to me There’s a poster calling for artists…why don’t you submit some of your work?.  At this point I had never hung in a gallery. I’d just been painting and slowly burying myself under them because I wanted yo do it all the time.. So, I stopped in and called the number.  It was Laura Brown, now a good friend, who spoke with me. She owned and just opened up the Artist Basement in 5pts on Devine street. She said, Bring me a disc with images tomorrow. I did. I met her and she had me in her first show…as well as mine. Later, I did a solo exhibition there and sold 22 out of 70 works.

Okay.  Now for the really intense stuff.  How do you avoid the soul-crushing fear of failure/rejection experienced by most creatives? How do you get beyond it?

I don’t think you can avoid those moments…and yes I have experienced it. It’s not really getting beyond it, but using it to push you harder and further with yourself.  I will always remember the first time I walked into a galley in Atlanta when I just started out painting. This was on a suggestion of a friend I try to show my work and see what they think so he set me up to have a meeting with this gallery owner. I brought what I considered my best work at the time. He had a few choice words here and there but the knife he pulled out was when he stated after looking at one of my pieces and said, It doesn’t have enough. and pounded his fist on his chest…right at the heart.  He didn’t say the word.  This was much more powerful of a statement. My insides shrunk I felt my face contort hoping he wouldn’t see how deep he cut with one sentence. He will never know how that impacted me.  All negative comments or gestures will have a hard time taking that one’s place…it made me think if I was being to playful with my work. But then again I was starting out and I loved having a playful aspect sometimes when I painted and at other times a dark, morbid feel…or anything in between. I guess to answer your question, No, I don’t let anyone NOW make me second guess my work.or how much heart I put into it.  I’ve held onto what that gentlemen has said tome for a long time. I should be thanking him now for the shell shock… needed, deserved, or not.  Anything after that rejection was a Sunday comic.

Do you get nervous before a show?  Or is it all old hat by now?

I do. I may not appear to be on the surface but I am on the inside. The more I have shows it doesn’t make a difference. It is channelled a little bit more into nervous excitement opposed to just pure nervousness.

How do you deal with that?

I try to be alone before a show, have just time with me and my thoughts and reflect on how I got myself to this point. To just breathe and try to live in the moment not see it afterwards..

What do you do when you aren’t painting?

I like to mix up my time when not in the studio. I play music, I occasionally write, I’lll take part in on-the-spot skits drummed up by my  friend, Jason Stroud who is a videographer and an artist. I visit with my brother Joe, as well as my mom and dad. Sometimes, I just go out and just start walking with no destination in mind. I usually find myself running into someone and rewriting my day with them. I try to stray from doing routines on my down time from painting, but at I’m always thinking about art and painting…gathering inspiration as I go about my time away from it.

What do you like about your new space at The Arcade?

It’s the first studio I have ever had. I used to just paint at my house or someone else’s living room or another artist’s studio.  The Arcade studio provides me with a set up I can leave and just walk in and start creating. I also enjoy being around other working artists in the building.

 

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Curious?  Would you like to see more of Michael Krajewski’s work?  Check out First Thursday (our monthly Art Crawl) on Main Street on September 5th.

Also, make sure to mark your calendars for his newest-and biggest solo exhibition at Hopf Gallery on Devine Street on September 27 at 6pm.  If you manage to make it out to either event and get the opportunity to chat with him, I think you’ll agree with me that Michael Krajewski is, in fact, the real deal.