Curtis Alan Kiwak

My artwork has a style reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's illustrations in children's books, but with an edgier twist.
About Curtis Alan Kiwak

I use my art to tell stories, thinking of the page that I work on as a mini theater. I rarely plan out what I put on a canvas or paper. I grapple with making my images as automatic as possible. I see my process of working akin to a young child who is using art materials to process daily experiences. I dive into my inner child and let randomness find the imagery. I experiment with a variety of drawing materials. The strange whimsical worlds that I create excite me, and they have a psychological edge that always surprises me. My story narrative unfolds as I work. A lot of my drawings include images of things that reflect my childhood fears. I am intrigued by how my imagination gets reflected on the page and how the work then takes on a life of its own.

I graduated from the University of Arizona with my BFA in 1983. I joined Central Arts Collective that year and remained an active member until 1990. I took a hiatus from the art community and in 2004 returned to studio work. I currently work with ball point and gel pens, pastels mixed with different paint mediums, pencils, charcoal, and paint on paper. They range from 32x40 inches to 5x7 in.

https://www.curtiskiwak.com/
27x32 inches, painting on paper
Revenge At The Shooting Gallery
9x12 inches, mixed media on paper
Retribution Is Coming
25x32, painting on paper
Baptism By Bluster

Open Studio Tour

About the Process

When I sit down to do a drawing, I have no idea how it will turn out. I may look at something around the room and briefly sketch it or I may use a portion of something that I have drawn before. From a group of random forms and shapes I create a story. The story develops as I’m drawing. I like the detail that I can get in my work by using drawing media and mixing it with paint. I use charcoal, pencils, pastels, and water-based crayons with acrylic paints. A lot of my drawings include images of things that reflect my childhood fears. Some symbols get repeated often: animals, water, monsters’ and innocents’ figure in jeopardy. I am intrigued by how my imagination gets reflected on the page and how the work then takes on a life of its own.

I'm mixing watercolor crayon with gel mediums and acrylic paint.
I'm laying out the foreground with charcoal and gel pencil which is water soluble. This painting took 45 hours to complete.
I use black crayon, gel pen and ball point pens.

How to Purchase

My studio will be open for visitors April 26-28 10 am – 4pm.
A special Open Studio Event will also take place on Saturday, April 29th, 10 am – 4 pm.

It is also best for visitors to directly contact me by phone, email or Facebook and Instagram on social media. I can then arrange to answer any questions about visiting the studio or other questions. There are no public hours for Art & Design Center at Grant Road – 3778 E Grant Rd.

My website is also not set up for sales but you can see prices on what is currently posted there. My social media pages also reflect what is currently created and may not be on the website yet.

No events added yet.

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