Holly Gornik's paintings offer a close-up look at musicians at work. They capture not only the faces of the players, but also their gestures.
     The subject matter is a natural for Gornik.
      "My profession was symphony orchestra musician for 42 years," she said. "I was always drawing and painting my colleagues."
      An exhibit of her paintings, portraits of musicians as well as landscapes, opens with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Gallery at the Station in Ogden. She shares the gallery space with Louise Marcus of Sandy, who creates artistic jewelry. The exhibit continues through Nov. 1.
      Gornik, of Salt Lake City, grew up with a desire to create art and music. She doesn't know if that artistic streak is genetic.
     "Neither of my parents were musicians or painters," she said, but adds, "I was adopted."
      Her musical dreams were supported by her family.
     "My grandmother had a piano I always tried to play, and she just gave it to me," Gornik remembered. "I was about 8 years old."
     By the time she graduated from high school, Gornik had scholarship offers for both visual arts and music programs. She chose to major in music, and has no regrets.
      "I had a tremendous career as a musician," she said. "I just retired in January, after 39 years with the Utah Symphony."
      She also played with other orchestras, taught at Weber State University and the University of Utah, and put out a CD of oboe music inspired by her work recording movie music in studios.

Danny Kaye

Painting musicians

     Gornik says about half of the paintings she's showing are landscapes, and the other half are portraits. Among the portraits are images of musicians.
     "My interest has been personalities, people with their instruments, and trying to capture the gestures of their playing," she said.
     Unfortunately, she had a designated seat in the orchestra, so the scenery didn't change much over the years.
     "I did a lot of sketch work," she said, noting that they were quick, gestural studies. "That was the most fun I ever had doing this. ... they're real free and fun."
     The paintings aren't quite as free, she said, "but they're great likenesses, and pretty much appropriate playing positions."
     Gornik painted several different musicians, as well as a few conductors.
     "I've stared at conductors most of my life," she said.

Landscapes

     Throughout her music career, Gornik continued to study visual arts. She attended workshops, and studied sculpture.
     "I've done, in the past, a lot of welded metal sculpture, but I had to quit doing it because the fumes made me sick," she said.
     Painting is now her full-time job, and she enjoys capturing landscapes.
     "I love Arizona -- I love the landscapes down there," she said. "I do have several Sedona pictures, and images of sand dunes. I enjoy that -- it's sort of abstract to me."
     Gornik says her landscapes lean toward abstraction, and her portraits are a bit impressionistic, but she's rooted in realism.
     "I don't know if you could categorize me," she said. "It's been a journey for me, and I think you would sense quite a bit of feeling in my paintings."