When his first tour of duty ended, he attended art school in La Jolla, California, married his wife Jackie, and went on to San Diego State College where he achieved a degree in Arts and Education in conjunction with the Navy ROTC Program.
Stan’s long career in the Navy spans World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Following his WW II assignment on a destroyer, he became an instructor in amphibious warfare at Coronado, California, and then served as an officer on four tours of duty at sea. His experience includes training at the Naval Intelligence School in Washington, DC, subsequently transferring to British Intelligence in London for a two-year stint. Stan retired from the Navy in 1971.
Artist Stanislaus Sowinski in 2006 at the unveiling of his painting Pulaski and the Battle of Savannah at The Polish Center of Wisconsin.
Photo by Heidi Gross
Stan’s illustrious career in the Navy is matched by his amazing accomplishments in art. In fact, at no time during his military career did he stop producing art. His travels in the Navy facilitated his access to the world’s museums and great art, as well as his being honored with one-man shows in Washington, DC, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and the American Embassy in London.
With his service years behind him, he remained in Southern California and moved forward fulltime into the next forty years, creating in the mediums of watercolors, oils, and acrylics. He is considered a tonal expressionist, emphasizing rich tones and loose, broken color. He deeply appreciated the austerity and simplicity of Oriental Art.
Stanislaus Sowinski paintings have been attained by public, corporate, church, and private collections. In addition, he created large Byzantine-styled icons for Orthodox and Catholic churches in the San Diego area. Recent accomplishments include a 6×18-foot diptych for the University of San Diego and the altar design and five large traditional oil paintings for St. Mary’s Church in Escondido, CA.
In September of 2006 the artist journeyed to his home town of Milwaukee, where he was warmly welcomed by old friends and many members of the Sowinski clan. There he presented the Polish Heritage Alliance with the donation of the painting Pulaski and the Battle of Savannah. The unveiling took place in the Veterans’ Room of The Polish Center of Wisconsin, where it remains.
A simultaneous showing took place that celebrated not only Stan’s work, but also that of his late brother’s. Sylvester Sowinski was a painter and sculptor who worked many years for the Milwaukee Public Museum. The focal point of the exhibition was Stan’s painting, Winter in Kosciuszko Park. The scene depicts Milwaukee’s near south side park, looking toward the Basilica of St. Josaphat. Interestingly, the Basilica formerly had been a United States Post Office and Custom House in Chicago. The building was bought by the parish in 1896, dismantled, shipped by railway, reconfigured, and reconstructed on the corner of Sixth Street and Lincoln Avenue. The painting was purchased at the showing and is in a private collection.
Stan passed away on January 8, 2010.
A pictorial collection of Stanislaus Sowinski’s work, A Legacy of Art, by A J Haber, may be found at www.blurb.com/bookstore.
Search the title, author, or artist at the site. The entire book is available for preview. Many of the works feature as subjects the locale of the Western United States.
Sowinski’s painting Winter in Kosciuszko Park. Photo by J.C. Martin
James Conroyd Martin is the award-winning author of Push Not the River and Against a Crimson Sky. He is working on the final installment in his trilogy. Contact him at www.JamesCMartin.com.