Selena Nawrocki teaches interior design and drawing.
snawrock@valdosta.edu
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                                                                Deco Modified X  -  30” x 30”, mixed media, 2020

                                                           
​                                                                                       Artist Statement
My works of mixed media images represent compositions utilizing the common thread of Interior Design. Traditional boundaries of Applied Arts have been shattered, with my axonometric drawings and renderings yielding a bas-relief sculptural quality associated with the fine arts media. An abstract room interior, rendered in informal balance, is created with line, plane, plus tints and shades of color. The effect I am seeking is a mechanized, industrial structure designed to simulate architectural construction elements.  Every composition reveals, by its unique strength, how it would resolve itself as it follows the tendencies of its internal forces.  I am interpreting nature in its purest, abstract state – constructing a rhythm of pictorial lyricism using reflective objects and staircases.  Objects never end – forms intersect with infinite combinations of sympathetic attunements and clashing aversions.

                  The dominant element in my work is a staircase or group of staircases, which indicates a variety of symbolic meanings.  The process of ascending a staircase provides a feeling of a positive, hopeful, or purposeful journey; however, descending a staircase may imply negative, confusing, or depressing sentiments.  A traditional staircase is straightforward and proposes an uncomplicated route, but a spiral, twisted staircase may suggest mystery and disorientation.  My work typically utilizes a series of staircases both curving and angular providing a dynamic sense of movement while suggesting a complicated, mysterious path ultimately uniting places, ideas, and emotions.
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                  The honesty of materials is my principle focus in developing a machine-age quality enhanced with shadows and light. Even with the constant threat of chaos with the extensive use of diagonals, sharp angles, informal balance and bold color, I have sought an intuitive sense of ideal order.

                                                                                                       Bio
Dr. Selena Nawrocki received a B.F.A. degree from Mississippi University for Women in Interior Design/Art, an M.F.A. degree in Interior Design from the University of Memphis, and a Ph. D. degree in Technology Education from Mississippi State University.   Dr. Nawrocki is currently a Professor of Interior Design/Art at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, GA.  She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC).  In 2005, she received the VSU university-wide Excellence in Teaching award.  Her artwork has appeared in over 150 state, regional, national, and international art competitions with 36 awards.  Selected exhibitions include the 51st International Award Exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute (Best in Show); Dimensions 50th Anniversary Exhibition in Winston-Salem, NC (Best in Show); 17th Annual Rio Brazos Art Exhibition in Granbury, TX (Best in Show); and Digital Magic Juried Art Exhibition in New York.