Miriam Misenko was born in Philadelphia and began her artistic education at Carnegie-Mellon University and later received her BFA in painting from Northern Kentucky University.  She received her MFA in painting from the University of Cincinnati.  She exhibited widely throughout the Midwest while living in Cincinnati, and then on the east coast when she moved to Pennsylvania.  Miriam was represented by the Subculture Gallery in Soho in New York City.  Misenko’s work tends to focus inward, and her view is often one of humor.  Her pieces are mixed media works, combining a variety of materials such as oils, stained glass, clay and wood.  

Miriam now lives in Madrid with her husband and  landscape artist, Dan Boldman.

Statement

The making of art, to me, has often been an ongoing struggle to translate a multi-dimensional world onto a two or three dimensional surface.  I don’t perceive art as a momentary snapshot in time, but as a reflection of the layering effect of visual images along with emotions, sounds, words, tastes and other sensory perceptions.  Therefore many of my pieces have multiple and often, disjointed images, almost like a stream of consciousness experience.  Although trained as a painter, I have never been fully satisfied with just paint on canvas.  I enjoy the feel of a variety of surfaces; carved wood, fine upholstery, metal, clay, whatever I can find to express my thoughts.  I have always had a hard time with making one choice and for many years I felt that was a fault of my work, being pulled in so many directions, but now I realize this is my strength.  Currently I have been enticed by the process of hand-built clay pieces and raku firing.  The spontaneity of this ancient firing method intrigues me and I enjoy the uncertain results of the mix of glazes, combustion materials and environment.  It is like there is another mysterious creator in the piece, other than myself, who has the final say in how the piece will turn out.

  The subject matter of my work occasionally may be considered uncomfortable to some individuals, but they are topics that I feel compelled to express.  Often I entice the viewer into my work by tempting them with intricate patterns and details, light-hearted imagery, or gold leaf- embellished surfaces, inviting them to linger and enjoy the textures and nuances of the piece, even before they are actually aware of what they are looking at.  It is then that they begin to see what lies underneath, assemble the meaning of the work in its entirety, and see all of the layers and meanings within the piece.  The viewer then has one of two reactions; they feel duped, tricked, the recipient of a cruel joke, or, they feel enlightened, like they just discovered the answer to a perplexing riddle.  And sometimes the piece is appreciated only for its surface, the handling of the material, the craftsmanship, and the use of the different mediums.  At this point the piece no longer is solely created by me, but continues to grow depending on how the viewer perceives it and what personal experiences they bring when trying to understand it.  Here is where I feel the making of art moves from a solitary and selfish endeavor to a shared experience and a dialogue with others.