An invitation brochure accompanied the show with a statement contributed by Helen C. Frederick, Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. This exhibition provided us with a rare opportunity to see the work of an artist—a visual storyteller whose characters reappear over time in different configurations—who has used handmade paper as his means of expression over the course of many years. So, what did I feel when I first entered the exhibit? It was beautiful, lush, colorful, funny, overwhelming, and occasionally a little creepy. I did not know whether to look first at the seemingly normal, yet strangely subverted images or to ponder over the elaborate, compelling techniques. Both aspects of the work are multi-layered and intriguing. Equally fascinating are the stories behind each image; some were obvious at first, and others made richer by the opportunity I had to ask the artist about them. Even without the background knowledge, Polinskie's works have always communicated to me in a direct and powerful way. In viewing the exhibition, I felt the luxury of seeing the passage of time through the eyes of a talented, giving, and creative human being. Each piece was engaging, making it difficult to pass quickly from one to another. I had the feeling of being in one of those old cartoons in which the shopkeeper leaves for the evening and all of the toys and inanimate objects come alive. Polinskie uses the images of larger-than-life stuffed toys, animals and insects, and fruits and flowers to tell us the story of his life and how he feels about the human condition. His main sources of inspiration have been comic books and Aesop's Fables. These feed his interest in creating works of great Ken Polinskie: Then and Now mindell dubansky ken polinskie "Then and Now" at Nicole Fiacco Gallery, Hudson, New York November 5–December 31, 2005 Semi-Suite, 1989, 32 x 42 inches, pressed paper pulp. All photos courtesy of Nicole Fiacco Gallery, Hudson, New York. Spirit Dog (Yawning), 2002, 24 x 18 inches, gouache on paper (with leaf inclusions) made by the artist. Long Red Monkey, 1996, 30 x 16 inches, paper pulp painting. summer 2006 - 39 sentiment that often impart a life lesson. There is a lot to learn from Polinskie's work, especially for the artist working in papermaking techniques. I find it amazing how he has been able to create a vocabulary in paper. He is attracted to the color saturation that can be controlled in handmade paper and he relates to the mould as a drawing surface as well as a drawing tool. It is his openness to explore the abilities of the medium that have led him to develop techniques that manage to evoke emotion, movement, and humor. It is wonderful to witness such compatibility between an artist and his medium. Polinskie began making his work in hand papermaking after studying with Susan Gosin and Paul Wong of Dieu Donné Papermill in New York City. He was inspired by David Hockney's Paper Pool series and soon developed his own techniques, exhibiting his first large-scale pulp paintings in 1983. Over the years, he has created his paper artworks at Dieu Donné, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, and his own papermaking studio in Germantown, New York. Works produced in all three studios were represented in this exhibition. After standing back from looking at the individual works in the show, I slowly began to understand why Fiacco decided on a retrospective survey for Polinskie's exhibition. Independently, each of the works is beautiful and compelling; together, they reflect Polinskie's longtime commitment to his imagery and the many transformations that these icons have undergone. All build up to a crescendo, with the most recent works his crowning glory, having benefited from the many years of personal and artistic experience and experimentation. Polinskie credits his involvement in Hand Papermaking's recent pulp painting portfolio as an important motivating factor in the production of his latest pulp paintings. Three of my favorite pieces in the show are among the most recent works. Two of them, I consider a pair, and cannot imagine them being separated. They are Little Staffordshire Monkey and Fable VI: Midnight Sentry. These are lovely works, both from 2005. The figures are animated and beautifully rendered in pressed paper pulp. I felt like a relieved witch when, as I was in the gallery, a couple came in and purchased the works as a pair. The third, Old Hound, is a most powerful piece. It inspired me to take out my 1864 copy of Aesop's Fables. It is the story of an old hound, who had been an excellent hunter in his youth and beloved to his master, but had become feeble and unserviceable with age. In the field one day, he was the first to corner a stag and seized it by the haunches; however, the hound's decayed, broken teeth could not hold the animal. His master became angry and went to strike him with a stick, when the poor creature barked out an apology: "Ah! Do not strike your poor old servant; it is not my heart and inclination, but my strength and speed that fail me. If what I now am, displeases you, pray do not forget what I have been." In Polinskie's painting, the man is not depicted. What inspired the artist to create this wonderful picture are the hound's dignity, his ability to speak eloquently about his condition, and how this, in the end, is what protects him. reviews Little Staffordshire Monkey, 2005, 18 x 24 inches, paper pulp painting. Fable III: Old Hound, 2005, 30 x 40 inches, paper pulp painting.