Capturing God’s Artistry

Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end of the day. — Winston Churchill

A reflection of her heart, Rose Wilczek’s artistry is often skillfully and thoughtfully crafted for others’ enjoyment.

From a young age, Wilczek has had a love for art and horses.

Growing up on the Cimarron River near Okeene, her mother often sketched or painted and she would sit her six children at a table with art supplies and encourage them to draw and paint, Wilczek said.

“Horses have been my favorite subject for as long as I can remember and I would draw on all kinds of things…even my homework,” she commented.

Combining her passions, she has created numerous sketches, drawings and paintings through the years of various subjects, often focusing on portraits of horses and people, as well as capturing God’s handiwork in nature.

Her high school art teacher was amazing, Wilczek said, and she didn’t appreciate all he had taught her until later in life, especially how to achieve proper perspective in her art pieces.

Taking art lessons from Fred Olds with her mother also broadened her understanding of shadows and light in art, she said.

With sketchpad in hand, they would walk around Guthrie receiving instruction from Olds not only about artistic technique, but history as well.

“It was life-changing and something I really enjoyed,” Wilczek said.

Also involved in the Kingfisher Brush and Palette Club, she learned a lot from her peers and guest artist demonstrators, she said.

Quoting the old adage, “‘If you don’t use it, you lose it,’” she said involvement in the club encouraged her to keep dabbling.

Some of the club members’ art is displayed at the Kingfisher County Courthouse. Wilczek’s oil rendering of “School Transportation” is among them. It meticulously depicts 100 years of local school transportation, people and schools with a scenic view from the Lomega High School and Omega area.

Having been a school bus driver for over 30 years in the Loyal and Omega area, Wilczek has some insight about school transportation. She was a bus driver at Lomega Public Schools for 20 years and 11 years at Chisholm Trail Technology Center, where she is currently employed as a bus driver and administrative assistant.

“Rose is a strong contributor at CTTC, very giving and has a tremendous gift of artistic talent,” CTTC Supt. Max Thomas said.

“She is always thoughtful and everything she does has a personal touch.”

Even though life can get busy, Wilczek said, it is important to find time to work on your skills.

Influenced by the wellknown Oklahoma pioneer artist Augusta Metcalfe, she said, “Metcalfe designated an hour a day to her artwork and it inspired me to do that as well.”

Some of Wilczek’s favorite media is pencil, graphite, charcoal and colored pencil, and she said she discovered she can take it on the school bus and work on her art in her downtime.

“Rose is such a talented and amazing lady,” local artist and fellow Brush and Palette Club member Kathryn Leitner said.

“She is so hardworking and humble…very selfless.”

About seven years ago, Wilczek created a mural of an electric lineman with a storm in the distance on the wall at Cimarron Electric Cooperative, where her husband David has worked for over 46 years.

Much of the artwork she does is for family or friends, she said, sometimes even bartering with acquaintances and usually revolving around horses.

One of the works she completed as a bartering arrangement, “Experienced hands,” is a detailed oil painting of a man’s 90-yearold cowboy-father leading his 30-year-old horse through the corral.

Another piece Wilczek did, “All of Shirla’s horses,” for her friend Shirla Geis, is an oil painting of Geis and many of the horses she has ridden through the years.

She hopes to complete a similar painting for herself with her horses someday, Wilczek said.

A testament to the quality of her artistic abilities, Wilczek was recently awarded the grand and reserve champion at the Kingfisher County Fair for her colored pencil renderings.

Winning grand champion, “Dave’s Vaquera” is a sketch Wilczek did for her son David of his late wife, Karina.

Karina died a little over a year after a tragic accident that claimed their young childrens’ lives, Taylor and Mikaela, in 2016.

Using Karina’s senior picture as reference, Wilczek created a life-like portrait of her daughter-in-law.

An addition to the original photograph, she sketched Karina wearing a hat, similar to a drawing she had done previously of her son as a senior, Wilczek said. She added, “Karina had wanted me to do a sketch of her with a hat.”

Her son is also an artist, but in a very different media, Wilczek said.

David is a welding instructor at CTTC and has used his skills to create various pieces of metal art.

Wilczek and her husband also have a daughter, Amanda and husband Will, and grandchildren – Marshall, Leam, Amelia and Adeline.

At Christmas time, Wilczek creates Christmas cards with a print made from one of her works for her friends and family.

The 2019 Christmas card drawing she chose was “Love at first sight,” which also won reserve champion at the county fair this summer. It is a colored pencil drawing Wilczek completed for Max Thomas of his mare and foal as they share a precious moment together.

“Something about that scene just drew me in and I knew I wanted to sketch it,” Wilczek said.

Although she has many other interests, much revolves around her love of art and horses.

She said she has been involved in barrel racing, team roping, horse shows and enjoys photography, sewing, leatherwork and time with her family.

When she has the opportunity, Wilczek said, she loves to trail ride with her horse Mac.

“Mac and I have been through a lot together,” she said.

Whether on the back of a horse or while driving the school bus, Wilczek’s eye is always open to subjects and scenes that beckon to be captured on canvas.

“I want people to be drawn to nature,” Wilczek commented.

“Nature is the second Bible and we can be drawn to the Lord through sunrises and sunsets.”

Although her artistic abilities rival those selling their art commercially, Wilczek said it has never been a goal to promote her art and that it’s a hobby she loves to do.

“The Lord has just put that in me to have a pencil in my hand and I’m happy if I can bless someone with what God has given me,” Wilczek said.