They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about a painting? Look at Richard Pawlak’s abstract expressionist paintings, and years of life lessons and stories emerge from the layers of acrylic paint that cover the canvas.

For as long as he can remember, art has been a constant in Pawlak’s life. Growing up in the Chelsea projects, just north of Boston, he sought drawing as an escape, sitting at a table in his bedroom, drawing for hours on end. He’d often walk out to marshes beyond his home and be inspired by the fish swimming, animals wandering, and birds flying overhead: “I became like a bird watcher as a young kid,” he says. Fast forward to the years of 2008 to 2018, and birds and marshes feature prominently in Pawlak’s art, as he found himself on Cape Cod and with years of artistic influence at play.

While there was never a question that he would have an artistic career, the journey to get there and in what capacity remained opaque for many years. After graduating from Chelsea High School, Pawlak spent two years at the New England School of Art. A few metaphorical bumps in the road would disrupt his ability to graduate, but after a 10-year hiatus, he eventually earned a diploma from the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly. There, he had the good fortune to study drawing and painting under Oliver Balf and Paul Scott, who had been students of the world-renowned abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann. “I had incredible teachers. Oliver and Paul were tremendous influences on me.”

After Montserrat, he considered pursuing an art degree again at the Massachusetts College of Art; but again, life threw a curve ball. An opportunity to work as an apprentice at the Painters Union in Boston presented itself and he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to make, rather than spend, money.

As an apprentice, Richard worked under Peter Edwards, who taught him marbleizing and other techniques. They painted architectural masterpieces like the Boston Opera House, the Ritz Carlton in Boston, the Massachusetts State House dome, Harvard Law School, and the Boston Public Library. The experience then led to becoming a specialty contractor where he learned Venetian and Italian plaster work—the same plaster work that has served as the foundation for his paintings since 2018.

Today, Pawlak’s work follows the “in fresco” style of art, in which he paints on plaster so that the plaster and acrylic blend together. Below the colored art we see at the surface, lay several coats of black lime-based plaster. He carefully burnishes this plaster with knife blades to blend the colors of his paintings and bring an ancient artistic technique into his modern work.

There are no restrictions to what Pawlak paints today. He simply paints what he sees. “I paint just regular things—the things I love.” He takes photos of life—people working outdoors, walking, on the phone, playing an instrument—and recreates them into painted scenes, making a concerted effort to emphasize detail on the humans while leaving the architecture behind them abstract.

Richard’s art represents more than what meets the eye. It adds tremendous color to what could initially be perceived as simple and everyday life, and it holds a history of his own journey with the creative process in each stroke.  

Richard Pawlak’s work is available at Woodruff’s Art Center in Mashpee and online at woodruffsartcenter.org.