As a child, Stacey Pydynkowski didn’t encounter much art in the traditional sense of visiting galleries or museums, but was instead fascinated by the visual imagery in everyday life — especially in nature.
“The vibrant flowers in my neighbor’s garden bed in the trailer park I grew up in inspired me to grow morning glories in yogurt containers on our porch,” said Pydynkowski, an artist from Mt. Pleasant. “I gathered little bouquets of dandelions and blades of grass to give to neighbors — I was captivated by the idea that something as ordinary as a flower could communicate so many universal feelings without needing words — declarations of hope, love, sympathy, congratulatory wishes — all in a flower.”
She majored in psychology and studio art at Saint Vincent College in Unity, where she fell in love with painting. Pydynkowski didn’t plan on becoming a full-time artist; she worked in retail after graduation, while painting on the side.
In 2018, at age 26, Pydynkowski was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, primarily the lymph nodes.
“Life events transformed my relationship with the creative process and led me to take the leap in pursuing art, and — in a very full-circle moment — just like when I was a kid, it started with flowers,” she said.
Starting April 29, Friends of the Monroeville Public Library will host Pydynkowski’s “Portraits of Spring” exhibit at the library’s Gallery Space.
When she was undergoing cancer treatment, Pydynkowski would receive bouquets of flowers from loved ones, and she wanted to find a way to commemorate the care and kindness of each petal before they wilted.
“I started exploring preservation techniques and began embedding the preserved petals into my acrylic portrait paintings, and it’s still a big part of my creative practice seven years later,” the artist said. “I will forever associate flowers with what they symbolized during that time — each petal is a reminder of the way we band together during difficult times, searching for little pockets of joy and cheer during moments that feel void of those things.”
Pydynkowski paints at her home studio; she is represented by Firebox Art Studios in Carnegie, where she also has art for sale. Pydynkowski is a member of Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Society of Artists and several local art centers. She has murals on display in Greensburg, Jeannette and Johnstown.
Pydynkowski currently teaches acrylic painting workshops at You are Here Gallery in Jeannette, in order to support others in their own artistic journeys. She has painted, collaborated with and facilitated multiple public art and mural projects.
The artist said she was a reserved child, tongue-tied child. So the realization that there were other ways to communicate beyond verbal language changed the course of her life.
“Before I ever could fully conceive the notion of being identified as an artist, I had accidentally been living a life full of art,” Pydynkowski said.
It’s no wonder that most of Pydynkowski’s painting are of flowers and nature, and her mixed media pieces feature pressed flowers, felted wool fibers and acrylic paint on wood.
“I paint portraits of seasons, feelings and memories, using my paintbrush as a tool to document, make sense of, and celebrate the beauty and the messiness of the human experience,” Pydynkowski said. “Now as an adult, I strive to help others have that same experience of finding comfort, solace and a feeling of belongingness through visual imagery whether through art making or viewing art.”