Hot Works brings new art show to West Bloomfield

WEST BLOOMFIELD — A new art show will soon make its debut in West Bloomfield.

The West Bloomfield Fine Art Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21 in the parking lot at West Bloomfield High School, 4925 Orchard Lake Road. The show starts at 10 a.m. both days and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday. 

Running the event is Patty Narozny, the founder, owner and producer of the Orchard Lake Fine Arts Show.

“We had been contemplating a new art show in Michigan for several years,” Narozny said. “Jobs are returning to the auto industry and in manufacturing; businesses are coming to Michigan. How much more perfect can it be to work with West Bloomfield, where we have been working for more than 20-plus years?”

The Orchard Lake Fine Art Show will also return in July. This will be its 23rd year.

Narozny started with one art show in Florida, which continued to grow, with 14 shows now spanning the Sunshine State. She would like to see similar growth in Michigan. 

“There were some artists who couldn’t do the Orchard Lake Fine Art Show and wanted to do a Michigan show with us,” she said. 

At the new show, there will be a variety of art on display, including paintings, clay, glass, wood, fiber, wood sculptures, jewelry, and a new category called mixed-media digital that combines textured materials with elements such as digital art, 3D modeling and photography. 

“You may see a few crafters that are less expensive than what you see at the show in July,” Narozny said. 

Among the featured artists is Margaret Iwanik, a painter who specializes in modern art. 

“It is an honor and privilege to display my art at these shows,” Iwanik said. “I love to be in the company of other artists.” 

She started drawing and painting when she was only a few years old, she said. 

“I came from an artistic family, so as a child, I was introduced to the beauty of art,” Iwanik said.

Michael Karonias is another artist exhibiting at the West Bloomfield Fine Art Show. He is known for his wooden sculptures, with his “Blue Fish” sculpture being especially popular.  

He was inspired by the blue fish in Florida. Since sculpting his first one, “I’ve never been able to keep one in stock,” Karonias said. “It’s hard for me to do because it’s not a very creative venture for me (creating the same item). But when I make one, it’s almost certainly going to sell.”

He has been doing shows with Narozny for nearly 25 years now. 

“This is a new show for her, so of course I’m going to be there for her, to support her and help build a strong show,” Karonias said.  

He has tried sculpting with metal but came back to wood.

“I like working with wood because it doesn’t fight back,” Karonias said.

John Denis is a glass and acrylic sculptor who makes art that ranges in size from items that fit on a tabletop to pieces that stand floor to ceiling. 

He was at an art show in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the owner of a five-story building with an all-glass front commissioned him to create something special. The result stood 13 feet and hung from the ceiling of the top floor, lighting up at night so it could be seen through the windows.

Now, Denis is working on a piece that is 6 feet tall for the West Bloomfield show, as well as a coffee table book and an album, both titled “Fusion.”