ALLISON KRAJCIK | 3RD PLACE
2025 ABSTRACTS/SEMI-ABSTRACTS COMPETITION

Allison Krajcik lives and works in Southeastern Massachusetts creating rich landscapes and florals using oils and pastels. In 2007, Krajcik founded an interior redesign company, but during the early days of the pandemic, she shifted her focus from consulting to painting and creating a cohesive body of art. Since then, her pieces have been juried into numerous exhibitions and received many awards. She is a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod.

We had a recent conversation with Krajcik about her inspiration and technique.

You originally painted in watercolor. What made you change to pastels?

With watercolor, the glazing technique had become tedious and tiptoeing around the white of the paper became too controlled. Pastel was not so precious, and the color interaction could be heightened dramatically by allowing underpaintings to show through subsequent layers of pastel in infinite combinations.

How do you use color theory to determine your underpaintings and balance of color in your work?

I select a palette first, based on color relationships on the color wheel (as in triads, split complementary, and double complementary combinations). I determine the overall color dominance and which warm colors will serve as the underpainting based on the mood I want to achieve.

You have several paintings of milkweed. What attracted you to this particular plant?

Milkweed is a vital food source for the Monarch butterfly but is classified as a weed because it reproduces rapidly and takes water and nutrients from farmers’ crops. But as this plant disappears, the Monarch struggles to complete its cross-country journey. I hope that by giving viewers a closer look, they might question why we cast away such a beautiful and complex plant and reflect on the delicate balance that sustains our world.

What inspired your artwork, “Bejeweled?”

The contrast of the color temperature between the silk threads in sunlight and shade was my inspiration. An intimate space was created by squeezing the warm area of light between the dominant dark shapes. The backlighting created drama while the contrast of sharper texture in the white silk threads in the foreground creates depth and movement. I prefer dramatic paintings and luminous backlighting and depth. I enjoy developing a plan for color with an emphasis on overall temperature and mood of a piece, and I like to play with soft and sharp texture.

All artwork © Allison Krajcik, shared with permission.