Moving from his birthplace of Iquitos, Peru, to Anchorage then to Homer, Peruvian-American artist J. Piotreck Pawlikowski creates colorful acrylic paintings inspired by the peace and beauty of the landscape around him.

Currently on display in the “Finding Home” exhibit at Homer Council on the Arts are two of Pawlikowski’s acrylic paintings.

“By My Side” depicts two rowboats at rest in a bay with mountains in the background. Inspired by a photograph by Peruvian photographer Steven Guio, from whom Pawlikowski received permission to paint it, Pawlikowski was drawn to the image for the feelings it brought out in him.

“For me, this painting represents quietness, insight and hope,” Pawlikowski said. “I love blues and greens because those are the colors we find easily in nature and those colors put me in a state of peacefulness. The boats represent the human being, and that we are not alone. The reflections on the water represent the chance that we have and the time we find in life to reflect upon ourselves. For some, it is a moment to think and avoid future mistakes, (and) for others a moment to understand forgiveness and understand others and ourselves. The undefined mountains in the background represents the ups and downs in life and the blue sky reminds me of hope.”

He often goes outside in search of scenes to paint, like sunsets, flowers, boats, mountains and animals. Other times, he finds images online that inspire him. Most often, he finds inspiration in beautiful and peaceful settings, and so Homer’s landscape regularly shows up as imagery or inspired imagery in his paintings.

“It is the quietness, the ocean, the sunsets, the wildflowers in summer and the animals around that inspire my creativity,” he said. “Homer is a very peaceful place. It is a long process for a painter to get their panting to where they want it to be. There is a lot involved in mood and emotions before the painting even begins.”

Pawlikowski does not adhere to any one specific style, but prefers to combine styles — for example, still-life and impressionism.

“I like still-life and I tend to put a touch of impressionism in the background, like when I get the colors in the background from bird’s colors,” he said. “In my sketches, I love surrealism and often do ballpoint pen surrealism drawings.”

Some of his favorite drawings have him drawing items from nature, like trees and plants, and hiding within them human aspects like bodies, hands and eyes.

“We are all connected because we are all part of nature,” he said.

Pawlikowski has been drawing, coloring and painting since childhood, teaching himself the various mediums and learning through the years. As an adult, Pawlikowski settled on painting as his primary medium, taking art classes from the University of Alaska Anchorage and online.

“I used to paint with acrylics, watercolor ink, ballpoint pen and color pencils, mixing mediums, even colorful contact paper. (I used to) draw animals from the Amazon rainforest, as well as surrealism,” he said. “Now Alaska scenes and animals are in more and more of my paintings. The main tool of my creativity is nature. Nature is my instrument to help me feel the moment.”

Beyond being a creative outlet, painting is for him a way to both feel and express his inner journey.

“Painting is relaxing for me and is a way to share my thoughts and my feelings,” he said. “When I paint, that is always my desire, to transmit my feelings through the painting. It is a need for myself to sketch, to draw, to paint.”

For Pawlikowski, the joy in his creativity is the joy it brings him throughout the process, from the beginning to a completed painting. His creative goals today include learning more about colors, improving his techniques, using a greater variety of brushes for different effects, and further exploring surrealism, including converting his ballpoint pen drawings into paintings using oils, acrylics and watercolor.

Pawlikowski moved from Iquitos, Peru, the biggest city in the Peruvian Rainforest Amazon, to Anchorage in 2003 after meeting an Anchorage resident who would later become his wife, while she was on vacation in Peru. After traveling to Alaska for a two-month vacation, he met her family, decided to stay in Alaska and the couple married. After living in Anchorage for 17 years, the couple moved to Homer in 2020.

Since moving to Homer, he has shown his work at HCOA and through his Instagram page. He is captivated by local artists’ work, including Oceana Wills, who was born and raised in the community.

“I like her style and the cool colors she uses,” he said.

He is also drawn to the work of masters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí.

“They show that there is no right or wrong in art,” he said.

Pawlikowski’s painting, “Mount Saint Augustine,” on display at HCOA, showcases the mountain at sunset from the Baycrest overlook viewpoint. Created in response to the call for art for the “Finding Home” exhibit, he considered ways he has made Homer home since moving here and was inspired by a desire to paint a scene that would bridge the places he has lived in, including Iquitos and Homer.

“When I go anywhere, being in nature is a way to make a place my home,” he said. “In my old hometown in Peru, I went to Saint Augustine School and when I go outside here in Homer and watch the sunset and see Mount Saint Augustine in front of me, I feel even more at home .”

Available for commission work, community members can view Pawlikowski’s paintings in the “Finding Home” exhibit at HCOA through the end of the month and on his Instagram page, j.piotreck.art, where his originals and prints are available.

“Mt. Saint Augustine” is a 2024 acrylic painting by J. Piotreck Pawlikowski and one of three of his paintings on display through February in Homer Council on the Arts’ “Finding Home” exhibit. Photo provided by J. Piotreck Pawlikowski

“By My Side” is an 2023 acrylic painting by J. Piotreck Pawlikowski. Photo provided by J. Piotreck Pawlikowski