Last in a series
By CHERYL ROMANO/Lincoln Chronicle
YACHATS — Is Victoria Kwasinski a sculptor or a painter?
“Yes” is the correct answer, because the Yachats artist’s work requires carving into a paint-wax mixture to create textured, two-dimensional pieces.
While she keeps a few dozen traditional paint brushes around for nostalgia’s sake, the Colorado native is lately more apt to use palette knives and carving tools to create her abstracts, seascapes and landscapes.
She’s among the first artists in a new venture — the Little Art Museums of Yachats presented by Polly Plumb. The art project is made possible by a $6,500 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, and additional funding from Polly Plumb, the local nonprofit that brings cultural events to Yachats.
Along with local artists Dave Baldwin and Debbie Aken, Kwasinski’s works are on view at the Overleaf Lodge beginning Saturday. For an entire year, visitors will get an up-close look at some of the creative people who call Yachats home.
“The purpose is to promote Yachats as an art community, and help people understand why the artists live here,” explains Meredith Howell, secretary of Polly Plumb. “It’s an exploration of why art in rural communities is important — economically, as a boost for tourism, and also for building a sense of community.”
Started young, never stopped
For Kwasinski, the art journey began early — she was seven when she won a school award for a drawing of Peter Pan. By the time she was a high school senior she was a teacher’s art assistant.
From there she moved into corporate design for a telephone company, where a supervisor impressed with her talent said, “You don’t belong here” and encouraged her to go to the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver.
“It was interesting going to school with 19-year-olds when I was 30,” she recalls. Because she had a young daughter, school and parenthood kept her up until 2-3 a.m. every night for three years.
“Your passion gives you the energy to do what you’re supposed to do.”
After earning a fine arts degree at Rocky Mountain, Kwasinski forged a lifelong career in art. Her roles have included corporate graphic artist, freelance illustrator, gallery owner, fine artist and art educator. And her fine art paintings are part of private and corporate collections around the world.
While Colorado had always been her home, she discovered Yachats many years ago after touring the Pacific Northwest. “I fell in love with this little town,” she said. “I knew I would live here some day.”
Kwasinski was a part-time resident for six years and became a full-time Yachatian about 18 months ago. In 2023 she opened her gallery, Le Stelle, in downtown Yachats between Midtown Guitar and the Sea-Note restaurant. Like the artist herself, the gallery has roots in Colorado.
The name “Le Stelle” is Italian for “the stars,” and that was the name of Kwasinski’s gallery in Littleton, Colo. “I kept the sign, and now it hangs outside the door of my Yachats gallery,” she said.
The question everyone asks
Kwasinski’s studio is inside the small gallery and passersby often stop in to watch her work. These days, they’re watching her create mostly with a combination of oil paint mixed with cold wax (a type of beeswax) and using carving and other tools to layer the paint.
“Most of my paintings have about 20 layers; that’s what gives my work luminosity and makes the colors really pop. People get intrigued with what I’m doing.”
Questions about the work abound, but the one voiced most often is “How long did it take you to do that?” She usually replies, “My whole life.”
People associate the value of a painting with the time spent on it, she finds “Kind of an hourly wage mindset. But the answer is because your whole life gets incorporated into your work.”
Kwasinski’s work is largely inspired by nature. Before buying a home in Yachats she used to stay at the Fireside Motel.
“I’d get a room up high and sit on the balcony for hours watching the waves,” she said. “When I begin a painting, it tells me where it wants to go. So often, those rocks and waves show up.”
The artist/gallery owner offered these perspectives — plus a secret — for the Lincoln Chronicle.
Question: How does living in Yachats affect your art?
Answer: Yachats is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. My brain holds thousands of images that show up continually in my work. The slower pace of life, and Yachats’ supportive community also provide a peaceful state in which to create my work.
Q: What motivates you to keep creating art?
A: I am motivated by the exciting and unexpected rewards of working with my hands and paint, and I love the challenges of becoming a better painter.
Q: Does living and working in a rural area limit people’s exposure to your work?
A: I don’t feel that living in a rural area creates a limit. People who are looking for art will find you. Yachats is fortunate to have a healthy tourist season.
Q: Since tourism fuels the Yachats economy, what role do you think art plays in the city’s economic health?
A: I believe that the arts are a fundamental piece of any city’s economic health. This is even more important for a tourist destination, where visitors have more leisure time to explore and appreciate the work of artists.
Q: When people look at your work, what feelings would you hope to evoke?
A: I wish to create a peaceful sense of place and/or an emotion of curiosity and wonder.
Could you share a secret?
Had I not been called to a lifetime of being an artist, I would have loved to have been an Olympic slalom skier.
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to Lincoln Chronicle, formerly YachatsNews. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
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