"Magic MossII" Painting

Joanna Tyka " Lives to paint and paints to live"

She graduated with honors from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw , Poland and had a show at the Zacheta Museum, one of the most prestigious art institutions in Poland. Joanna Tyka went to Germany after graduation and settled in Hamburg. She worked in design -- on graphics, fashion and tapestry -- and as a sailing correspondent. Always, too, she painted. She lived for a while in Mallorca, Spain. In Germany she won many art awards, including the Altona Prize in Hamburg in 1983, and her work was exhibited in museum shows. Yet she was looking for new inspiration, and finally moved to Miami.

Tropical colors and flora now influence Tyka's painting. Some critics have identified a "Tyka style" in her startling coloring and dynamism and whimsical portrayals of life in South Florida. Themes from Latin America and the Caribbean abound on her canvas.

The Tyka style has allowed her to create strong relationships with fine art societies and galleries in the United States and Europe. She has had many commissions, especially from the world of music. The Princeton Boys Choir and the Philadelphia Boys Choir have Tyka paintings hanging in their offices. Her special design for the University of Miami School of Music hangs at Gusman Hall on the campus. She did stage design for concerts and music festivals. The Florida International University Music Festival has used Tyka art during its concerts. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany in 1993 and Festival Miami of the University of Miami School of Music have shown Tyka art. She created many covers for the Playbill magazine for the Florida Philharmonic and a posters for a new seasons in 1993/ 1994 and 1995/1996 . Her paintings have been exhibited under auspices of the Miami City Ballet.

Her works have been shown in ART Expo in New York and Los Angeles. She created a large mural for "El Día de los Muertos" in Los Angeles; also there in 1998 she created works for a benefit for the Starlight Foundation for sick children. Furniture design is yet another aspect of her work, and her musical chair has been shown in many concert series and at the Sofa annual art expo in Chicago.

She has won First Prize at the Coral Gables Art Competition in 1995 and 1996.. Norwegian Cruise Lines has auctioned her paintings and used them as decor on their ships.