Since her emergence as a renowned contemporary Pop artist in the early 1990s, Barbara Januszkiewicz has achieved distinction as a multi-media artist, filmmaker, visual journalist, and teacher with a passion for simulating and encouraging art awareness, education and creative expression. For this artist critical, creative thinking serves as a jumping off point for ideas which inspire change.

Januszkiewicz’s formal training was under the Chinese master Mun Quan, a traditional watercolorist whose influence can be seen in her simple Zen landscapes and in her wet and controlled technique. Over time, this artistic expression evolved into her signature “fusion” style of painting – realism handled in an impressionistic manner. It is here where she finds true freedom in placing paint on paper.

The influence of Avant-garde artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and others can be seen in Januszkiewicz’s choice of subject matter depicting everyday Americanism. Much like a classical performer embraces a range of styles, her compositions are inspired by scenes ranging from crowded city streets to close-ups of coffee and donuts and cafeteria foods to bicycle spokes and Ferris wheels. She paints mostly from memory to reflect on the relationship of pure, fresh color and design, resulting in a feeling of nostalgia while staying on the edge of realism. It is in floating between the conceptual reality and the limits of her media where Januszkiewicz has found her unique creative voice.

Like other period visual artists who travel to Paris for renewal, Januszkiewicz found inspiration during the summer she spent in Paris reconnecting with her passion for jazz music and seeing her art in musical terms. In her latest works she captures movement and expression with optical illusions and bright hues. Her series of musical notations is based on jazz elements with a geometric and color fixation. These compositions gradually become more structured in a series of musical notations while keeping a loose and flowing touch. This latest fusion of jazz and painting has infused Januszkiewicz’s work with a rhythm and flow that addresses a new media form and opens new dialogues with other creative art forms and artists. Because of this approach Januszkiewicz is becoming more involved with nonconventional interpretations of movement, art and music. The American Jazz Museum has recognized this artist's energy and her innovation media projects and her commitment and using multimedia platforms or transmedia for artistic excellence. Because of this she is now working on collaborative programs with this prestigious organization. In addition she has also been invited to collaborate with some of the finest avant-garde jazz musicians as a visual artist. Dave Liebman, NEA jazz master 2011 has partner with her to form performance band called Jazz Vision. Matthew Shipp and januszkiewicz has started working on a film called The Composer .

www.jazzvisiontrio.info www.thecomposer.info