Melinda Laszczynski

Artist Melinda Laszczynski is a compulsive collector of things that have potential. Her studio is filled with materials she is sure are magical - pink lumber, holographic film, scraps of acrylic paint peeled from the insides of jars. She's partial to shiny stuff, bright colors, and absurd things from the dollar store. Lately Laszczynski has been painting on found lenticular prints in which the image changes as the viewer moves around the painting, or reflective glitter film. Materials are added to be simultaneously attractive and off-putting to create tension and contradiction. Thick acrylic, glitter, or collaged paint skins are built up on and around the painting surface. She thinks of these paintings as portals; tactile spaces that shift. Laszczynski's paintings often become figurative by referencing the body or reflecting the viewer into the surface. 

Her ceramic work is a natural extension of her paintings. Clay is a balance of alchemy and anticipation, a push and pull between manipulation and the (at times merciless) nature of the material. It holds onto that memory of manipulation, whether a touch of the hand or a glaze, a hazy but persistent layer til the end. It’s romantic, made of literal earth, fire, and minerals. When Laszczynski makes these sculptures, she thinks of cakes rising and falling, bodies pushing against one another, and new growth pushing through organic forms. Layers of texture and color spill out and fight for air. Overall, her studio work is playful and tactile. 

Laszczynski received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Houston and her BFA in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is a Professor of Studio Art at Houston Community College. Laszczynski was a resident in the 2016-2017 Lawndale Art Center Artist Studio Program, the Spring 2021 Artists-in-Residence program at the Printing Museum, and the Vermont Studio Center. She has shown her artwork extensively across Texas. Recently, her work has been at exhibited at the Gallery at UTA in Arlington, TX, Point of Contact Gallery in Syracuse, NY, and Survival Kit Gallery in Cleveland, OH. Her artwork has also been exhibited at Cardoza Fine Art in Houston, Galleri Urbane in Dallas, TX, Pulse Miami, and the Amarillo Museum of Art 600 Sculpture Biennial. Laszczynski’s artwork is included in the collections of UTSW (Dallas), Toyota (Dallas), and Lester Marks (Houston). She lives and works in Houston, TX with her partner John and their cats Agnes and Krudler. 

View Melinda's artwork in the 2023 exhibit Chuffed Up!