Previous Artists

July 7, 2011 | 5 - 8 PM

Mika Holtzinger, will be presenting her most recent body of work, Losing Color, at the Zoot Art Gallery in Bozeman, MT July through October.
Holtzinger began her collegiate studies in Kansas, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wichita State University. She also studied drawing and sculpture at the International School of Painting in Umbria Italy. She went on to earn her Master’s degree from the University of Oregon in 2002 and has since exhibited at venues nationwide from Santa Fe to Kansas City and up and down the West Coast. She emerged as a prominent artist in Big Sky Country in 2008 and is currently represented by the Toucan Gallery, in Billings, MT. Beyond her studio work, Holtzinger also operates her own internet gallery on Etsy.com, teaches adults art classes, illustrates books, designs public art projects and collaborates with wildlife organizations, like the Honey Bee Conservancy in New York City.

Over the past decade Holtzinger has worked in a variety of genres, including painting, sculpture, and performance art. “Although I focus on one subject, like birds for example, I’m always using different materials to create with,” she says. “It keeps me engaged and challenged.” Her recent paintings are constructed in a truly unique way, layering pencils, paints, inks, and pastels on non-traditional materials.  She abandoned framed canvases or a tapestry form, reminiscent of Tibetan prayer flags or Japanese scrolls.

In the series Losing Color, Holtzinger uses as her subject some of the most emblematic species of the planet, all of which, due to human behavior, are facing rapid extinction. Holtzinger describes her artistic goals saying:

“As an artist, I consider my role to be ‘steward to nature, a person who observes and interprets the world around them and acts to protect it. I’m motivated by the interconnectedness of living things and the sacredness of the natural world.  I aim to discover how art can celebrate the beauty and grandeur of wildlife while also reflecting on the crucial issues concerning them. I strive to create images that inspire reverence for nature, provoking in people a sense of empathy and awe for these endangered animals, and thus a keener awareness of the effects of our actions, both positive and negative. It is vital that my work as an artist and my everyday lifestyle contribute to building a sustained ecology and giving this planet the appreciation it so desperately needs. ”