The Hills are Alive.
Edit 27. John Krzywokulski, Gembrook
Surrounded by forest and ferns, artist John Krzywokulski spends his days painting and creating in the studio he and his father built in the 1970s from reclaimed and discarded materials. Despite trees crashing through the structure over the years, including once while John was inside, it still stands strong.
“My whole philosophy is if you don’t have to buy it, you don’t buy it. You get whatever you can from hard rubbish or what people throw out.”
John’s life has been quite a journey. Born in a German refugee camp, he immigrated to Australia with his family in the early 1950s. They first lived in a migrant camp in Northern Victoria before settling in Noble Park. It was during his time at Dandenong High School in the 1960s that he discovered his love of art, encouraged by an influential teacher.
“My main influence was a brilliant art teacher, Peter Ralph. He’d take us to exhibitions, plays and musicals. It was incredible.”
John has since built a decorated career, receiving numerous awards, with works held in major Australian collections including Heide Museum of Modern Art, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and the Artbank government collection. One of his sculptures, Triston’s Journey, inspired by his late son is heritage‑listed.
His artworks blend landscapes or seascapes with figurative elements set against abstract forms, a play between fiction and fact. “I like to create that paradox. It’s about illusion and reality, while always accepting that it’s just paint on a surface.” Across many of his pieces, recurring motifs appear, a boat, a feather, a stick, reimagined across multiple works, each carrying its own meaning.
John never drifted into the corporate nine‑to‑five. He stayed devoted to his art, making ends meet through all kinds of jobs along the way. Today, he continues to paint, sculpt and tend to his garden, and when he’s not creating, he plays the guitar and harmonica, a life full of creativity, curiosity and craft.
You can follow @krzywokulski to see more of his work, or visit krzywokulski.com.au to enquire about purchasing.
