John Mlacak

a sense of place

Painting the landscape in oils is John Mlacak’s forté. Mlacak is an artist for all seasons and his open air paintings take you on a journey through the magnificent Gatineau Park, Rivière Rouge, Eastern Townships and Charlevoix areas of Québec. Other paintings reflect scenes in the brilliant colours of Ottawa-Carleton and travel in the Maritimes, New England and Europe.

As a passionate outdoor painter, Mlacak picks up the bold, dramatic colours of the Canadian seasons and the vibrant red and green roofs of Québec farm buildings and towns. He is fascinated by the play of light and shade weaving through the trees and over the white torrent of waterfalls and rapids. A full-time artist Mlacak enjoys a steady demand for his work.

Mlacak says this about his work: « My paintings are generally representational with a high degree of personal expressionism. At times they may be impressionistic with a strong emphasis on design form and colour. I use natural shapes, dramatic light and shadow, cool and warm colours that may be intense or subdued and strong modelling to achieve depth and effect. I use the highest value contrast to focus attention on the centre of interest and dynamic transitions to sustain engagement with the painting. »

His paintings are exhibited in local Ontario and Québec galleries and are represented in private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, Korea, Indonesia and South America.

Mlacak has studied with a number of renowned local and international artists. He has been greatly influenced by the late Canadian artists Brodie Shearer and Bruce Heggtveit and greatly admires Canada’s own Group of Seven, Tom Thompson and the French Impressionists.

« My goal is to capture a sense of place and I am influenced greatly by the emotion that can be inspired by nature. I paint using techniques that yield identifiable brush strokes characterized by wet-in-wet, wet-on-dry, hard and soft edges, glazing, and with both transparent and opaque paints. I know I have been successful when the finished painting rekindles my inotial feelings. »

Art is now Mlacak’s third career. He worked for thirty-five years as an engineer with Nortel Networks in telecommunications research and development, retiring in 1994. For eleven years he was active in local and regional municipal politics in Ottawa.

Mlacak’s painting career started after a heart attack in 1978. Over the years he took art instruction to keep him painting. It wasn’t until his retirement in1994 that he has be-en able to paint full-time. « I found that I could paint all day and not get tired, and as I progressed, I became more comfortable with my progress as a painter. Painting was a natural extension of the creative design and development processes of most interest to me and which were so central to my careers in telecommunications design and local politics ».

« I create the first pass of half my paintings en plein air and the other half in my studios using photographic material or creations based on memorable impressions. When I paint, I usually get about eighty percent of the painting done in two to three hours at one sitting, but the last twenty percent takes eighty percent of the time as this is where most of the design takes place. »

John participates in numerous group and solo shows annually, has won many awards for his art in juried exhibitions and supports a considerable number of charities by donating paintings.

In 2002, John had his second heart operation. He naps most afternoons and doesn’t start painting until later in the day, but goes on well into the night and early morning. « I always work on fifteen to twenty paintings at a time, and these are all visible in my studio. I only select one to work on when I think I know what I want to try next. It’s an evolving design challenge. » John’s wife, Beth, is the business manager, leaving John more time to paint.

John’s son Bill, is a freelance computer programmer and lives in New Hampshire with his wife, Joanna Whitcomb, and their two daughters, Sophia and Helena. Daughter, Kirsten works at the Canadian International Development Agency in Ottawa and Siobhan, lives in Paris, France where she teaches English as a Foreign Language and is also a successful photographer in black and white.

John’s work is selling steadily at Koyman Galleries in Ottawa and Toronto. He is also represented by Avenue Art in Westmount, Québec.

Noel Meyer

He is listed in the Biennial Guide to Canadian Artists in Galleries published by MAGAZIN’ART.

Kanata Kourier-Standard, February 6, 2004

First Snow, Laurentian Chalet by John Mlacak

Kanata artist showing at Croatian Embassy

Kanata’s John Mlacak has been invited to have a solo exhibition of 30 oil paintings at the Embassy of Croatia from Feb. 12 to March 12, 2004. The embassy is launching the show in conjunction with welcoming the new Croatian Ambassador to Canada, Zeljko Bosnjak.

The diplomatic community is invited to view the exhibition called, « Celebrating Colour » and to meet the ambassador at a reception to be held on Feb. 11.

The show is open to the public from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting on Feb. 12. The embassy is in Sandy Hill at 229 Chapel Street (off Laurier Avenue East). It is the former Toller House built in 1875 and beautifully refurbished by the Croatian Canadian community and the Croatian government.

Mlacak’s dramatic use of brilliant colours is immediately apparent in the paintings he has created for this oil exhibition. The canvases range in size from 11″ x 14″ to 48″ x 60″ and depict the vivid hues of fall and early snow in the Laurentians and the Gatineau. The torrent of rivers and streams in Algonquin Park beckon spring and the soft summer breeze can be felt in scenes of vineyards and courtyards in France.

Mlacak’s parents emigrated from Croatia to settle in Windsor, Ontario. His father found work with the Ford Motor Company and, of the six children in the family, three were born in Croatia and John was the first of three to be born in Canada. John has always remained closely tied to his Croatian heritage and is honored to show his work in this magnificent setting.

For information/appointment, call the embassy at 562-7820, ext. 11 or John Mlacak at 592-1620.

For information call John at 592-1620.

Disponible aussi au format PDF.

Clématite grimpante, oil, 24" x 30", John Mlacak

Local artist shows in Aylmer

Galerie Présence Arts et Antiquités

Local artist, John Mlacak, is having a solo show of new oils at Galerie Présence Arts et Antiquités in Aylmer, Quebec from February 1 to March 18. The vernissage is on Thursday, February 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. and John will be present.

The Gallery is in a lovely, Victorian residence furnished with European antiques at 149 rue Principale ( corner of Frank Robinson) approximately 7 km after you have crossed the Champlain Bridge and turned left on the Aylmer Road. The Gallery is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment.

Two of the signature paintings in the exhibition are window scenes on the grounds of the Rodin Museum in Paris, France. This is one of John’s favourite spots in Paris and he is particularly pleased with these works.

Make a visit to the Gallery part of your Winterlude activities. John looks forward to seeing you at the exhibition.

For information call John at 592-1620.

Kourier-Standard, January 26, 2001