BY DANA OLAND - doland @ idahostatesman.com
Edition Date: 11/18/07
Marianne Konvalinka was meant to become an artist. She's certainly creative enough. Just take her creatively cluttered studio, for example: She draws, paints, shoots photography and explores digital and new media. But all things happen in their time.
Konvalinka discovered art late in life, she said. Now it's part of her daily existence.
She has always been creative and found that balancing her analytical career as a sales representative with creative pursuits, such as gardening, needle work and home crafts highly rewarding.
When she turned 40, she decided to try something more formal. She took an art class.
"I found out I could paint."
She started at The Drawing Room in a class taught by Kathy Wren, who died last year of cancer. The Drawing Room no longer exists. But Konvalinka still takes inspiration from Wren every day, she said, and passionately expresses her artistic side in a variety of media.
She also works to help others do the same through her Gypsy Gallery, a collective of artists like herself - busy professionals with the need for an artistic outlet.
"It's a method of communication," she said. "There is something really cool about having someone touched by something you've created, and wanting to look at it on their wall. Bringing happiness to someone is the main thing. If I make them smile or make them feel calm, I'm happy. That's what my artwork does for me. That's what I hope to share."
Exploring art helps keep her sane, she said. "Art is a great balance. My job is very analytical."
And that sanity is paying off. Konvalinka is finding more success with every passing year. Her paintings and photography are getting stronger. One of her digital pieces, "Raining Violets" is now part of Boise's Digital Art Collection, and her gallery group is taking a larger presence in the arts community.
This holiday season you can find Konvalinka's digitally created cards at Carpenter's Custom Florists at Edward's Greenhouses. And next week and during First Thursday you can see a robust Gypsy Gallery celebrating its fifth anniversary in the Alaska Building.
Konvalinka represents a different approach to an art career. She works her day job, as a sales representative for The Wrigley Company, (yes the gum people), out of her North End home. She travels often throughout the region and tries to be creative every day, fitting in artistic pursuits where she can. Her goal is simply to make art part of her life, she said.
"I'm just happy if I get the cost of my art supplies back," she said. "It would be great to make a living doing something creative, but that would be a whole different thing and a very tough row to hoe."
The row she's chosen is hard enough. Konvalinka works on her art as hard as she does on her day job. It's more than enough work keeping up with her own ideas and her new puppy, Halle, as well as managing the Gypsy Gallery and keeping all her artists connected.
The gallery shows four times each year, but rarely in the same place. Konvalinka must shop around for a location. That's why they're called gypsies, she said. The gallery serves an important role in Boise's arts community by offering a place where artists can show their work in Boise's increasingly competitive gallery scene, said Karen Bubb, interim director of the Boise City Arts Commission.
"It diversifies the opportunities for artists to show and sell," Bubb said.
Bubb met with Konvalinka before she started the Gypsies. Konvalinka wanted to know where where she could show her work Downtown.
"I didn't have a definitive list," Bubb said, so Konvalinka did the research herself. The development of the gallery highlights one of the key qualities of Boise's arts community, Bubb said.
"If you want to make something happen, you can. I appreciate Marianne's initiative and her willingness to do the research. When she didn't find the opportunities she was looking for, she created them, and she created them for other artists as well," Bubb said.
As a result, Konvalinka's own work has become noticeably stronger over time, Bubb said.
"I really loved her piece in the Digital Art Collection. It's ethereal and subtle. I think because she's organizing and looking at so many other artist's work, you get challenged in different ways and it's a great opportunity to grow," Bubb said.
Konvalinka is particular about the artists who participate, she said. They need to be serious, dedicated and responsible, she said.
"We only have a short time to set things up. We need to have people we can count on," she said.
The artists currently involved with Gypsy Gallery are Kristy Albrecht, Michael Falvey, Jenifer Gilliland, Jany Seda, Cherry Woodbury, Rich Kenny and the newest edition to the group, Miriam Woito.
Woito moved from Art Source Gallery to the Gypsies after graduating with her master's degree in education. Now with her own nonprofit business, her schedule doesn't allow as much time for art.
"I'm too busy for Art Source now," she said. "This keeps me working on my own stuff and keeps me fresh and connected."
"Marianne is wonderful, she really makes an effort to create a community. We don't get together often but she keeps us on track with a common goal," Woito said.
She, Konvalinka and some of the gypsies have started painting on Saturday mornings at Boise Blue, to share ideas, get inspired and talk.
Because the gallery only shows four times each year, the exhibits become more of an event, Woito said.
Dana Oland: 377-6442
Labels: Art Work, Gypsy, Idaho
