Interview
Denisa Prochazka
Denisa Prochazka is an award-winning Canadian artist living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a classically trained figurative sculptor with a passion for portrait sculpture and figurative clay reliefs. Denisa works in clay and bronze.
Denisa’s goal as a sculptor is to bring her art forward to public spaces so that passersby can find peace, beauty, and a healing connection for a moment in time along their life’s journey. Some of her work is created as donations to women’s shelters, as well as charity projects to support children in orphanages around the world.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Since I was very young, I knew I would be an artist. Perhaps it was a very natural path for me. My passion and desire for creativity emerged in my early childhood years, growing up in my mother’s ceramic studio in the Czech Republic. I was always fascinated by the depiction of the human figure and representational art. There was never a shortage of figurative art in public spaces: statues of past kings, angels, fountains, and ornamental facades on buildings and inside churches. The solidity of three-dimensional art felt powerful and timeless.
At the age of thirteen, my parents made the decision to escape the political regime of then Soviet-occupied Czechoslovakia. Escaping through Hungary to Yugoslavia and eventually to a refugee camp in Austria was a shock from my beautiful childhood security and stability of home. It took 9 months to be accepted to Canada. The culture shock of being an immigrant in a new country, not knowing the language, the longing for my old home and way of life, and deeply missing my friends and relatives was a very difficult, lonely, and challenging time. I responded by immersing myself in art even more deeply. Attending a special fine arts program in high school, I spent endless hours drawing, painting and sculpting, quickly becoming one of the top students in my class. I continued my post-secondary studies in fine art and sculpture, graduating from O.C.A.D University in Toronto.
To my great joy and astonishment, I was selected, together with 20 students from O.C.A.D University, to complete my post-graduate year in Florence, Italy, studying Renaissance art history and learning to carve marble. Witnessing the awe-inspiring work of Michelangelo, whose sculptures had a tremendous impact on me, reinforced my love of sculpting the figure. My early childhood experience and love of clay led me back to this medium where I felt a complete freedom of expression through its tactile movement and flexibility, expressing feminine softness, and a high level of control, manifesting my visions into reality.”
What inspires you most?
“I find much inspiration in nature, observing rocks, textures, the shapes of trees, and watching the ocean and sky. But it is human faces and figures in a three-dimensional form that fascinate me the most. I do a lot of quiet people-watching and daydreaming visions of complete works of art that I see clearly in my mind.
In the early years of my life, it was my mother who inspired me the most. She was a ceramic artist with a home-based studio. Playing with clay was so natural in her studio and felt like magic to me. To create a shape that resembled something real in a three-dimensional form felt like breathing life into something real. It is this magic that I like capturing in the faces I sculpt today, manifesting a certain spiritual aspect, often dreamlike and ethereal. It is an amazing feeling to form clay with my fingertips until it feels like the face of a human being.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“The themes in my work are often inspired by the feminine nature that comes from within, as well as from the outside world. Many of my sculptures depict female subjects and feminine forms created to empower and inspire the feminine balance in this world. I strongly believe in creating meaningful and healing artwork that has the power to transform people’s lives.”
How would you describe your work?
“I often let my inspirational visions guide me through the creativity of the final artwork. When that vision comes to me, I can already see the finished sculpture in my mind. I loosely begin to sketch it in clay, allowing the creative spirit freedom to manifest itself. The process of sculpting while being deeply present in the moment feels like bringing a dream to reality. I always remind myself that the learning process never ends. With each new sculpture, I strive to achieve the best version of my ideal vision.
The sculpting process requires not only the ability to analyze a three-dimensional form, volumes, understanding of anatomy, and the practice of good technique. But I believe the true talent lies in the ability to see; the art of seeing what is in front of us and the ability of seeing what’s inside of us. Being able to translate that vision into clay is what makes each sculpture completely unique. Like the human imprint of a fingertip, there are infinite variations to expressing the subtlety of human emotion and movement, conveying the complexity of the human spirit.”
Which artists influence you most?
“My biggest inspiration in sculpting has always been Michelangelo. Being able to have spent a whole school year in Italy when I was in my mid-twenties made a great impact on me. Seeing his incredible talent in real life was astounding and awe-inspiring.
The other incredible historical artists would be Auguste Rodin, Camille Claudel, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Among today’s contemporary artists, I greatly admire the works of the American artists Benjamin Victor, Richard MacDonald, Paige Bradley, Philippe Faraut, and Michael Talbot.”
What is your creative process like?
“When I finish a sculpture in clay, I apply layers of liquid silicone. After each layer dries and forms a unified silicone mold, an outer shell made of plaster called the mother mold, is created on top of the silicone to hold it in place. The silicone makes a perfect imprint of the original piece, which can now be cast into many different materials such as hydro-stone, cement, or wax for bronze.
Creating a mold gives me the choice to create one original piece or limited editions of cast sculptures. The process of mold-making can be very complex, especially in three-dimensional sculptures conveying a variety of figures in complex poses and movement. Mastering the art and technique of sculpting is a lifetime process.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist’s role in society is to communicate a message through their choice of visual medium. As a female sculptor in the 21st century, I want to continue to speak a universal language that communicates feminine empowerment and strength of spirit. My definition of success is to be an inspiration to others, and to empower and inspire the feminine balance in this world. To be a visionary of healing art. To create a universal artform that speaks for itself through metaphoric meaning and symbolism, expressing strong feminine aura with modern thought and psychology of our contemporary culture.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“The exhibitions I found most exciting were my solo exhibit in New York City, and a recent show with the Allied Artists of America in the Salmagundi Club in New York City. Just the idea that I was exhibiting my artwork on 5th Avenue in one of the biggest cities in the world felt like a dream come true to a small town girl born in Olomouc, Czech Republic.”
