ROMAN IVAN KOWAL

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ROMAN IVAN KOWAL With great sadness we announce the sudden passing of Roman Ivan Kowal, aged 82, independent artist of fine arts, at Concordia Hospital on December 30, 2004. Besides his loving wife of 50 years Halyna, he leaves to mourn his passing son Bohdan Koval; mother-in-law Antonina Poliksha; as well as other relatives in USA and Ukraine; friends and the Art community in Winnipeg, Toronto and Ukraine. Roman was predeceased by his parents at a very early age, father Ivan at nine and mother Maria at 12 years of age; younger sister Olha soon after. Roman Ivan was born in 1922 in the village of Bashnia, district Lubachiw, Western Ukraine. He began his art education in 1942 at the Art Institute in Lviv under M. Mykhalewych and M. Yershow. After the Second World War he continued his studies in Munich (Karsfeld) and Berchtesgaden. He completed his studies in 1948 and immigrated to Canada. Upon arrival he worked for the Hudson's Bay Co. in display. From 1952 to 1954 he worked for the sculptor Hubert Garnier, designing large bus-relief Pioneer for the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History in Regina as well as monuments to Kelsey and the buffalo hunt, (neither of which were brought to fruition). In 1954, Roman married Halyna Poliksha and began freelance work first in ceramics, then gradually in church art painting and sculpturing. In 1960 he moved to New York to collaborate in work on a monument of Taras Shewchenko and completed bas-reliefs for it. In 1961 he returned to Winnipeg and started working with known artist in church art, Sviatoslaw Hordynsky, decorating churches in Winnipeg (starting with Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Sts. Vladimir Olga). In 1966 he designed his first stained glass window for St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Winnipeg and completed it with the assistance of G. Kozak in his studio in Detroit. From this point on began his freelance work in monumental art. In his artistic activities Roman was continuously searching for originality. Eventually he developed into an extremely individualistic artist who was not easy to compare to other artists. His works of paintings, sculpture, mosaics, murals and stained glass windows are stamped with his own individualistic approach and personal identity. His specific, contemporary approach to art contributed to development of his own style of work. In the last two or three decades Roman was best known to the public for his design and execution of church interiors, icons, mosaics, stained glass windows, murals and other works found in Ukrainian churches. His sacred work reflected his own artistic philosophy which has no place for copying the pseudo-byzantine style. He always attempted to find his own original solutions, therefore his work was truly unique in design and expression. Among many other projects Roman Kowal was involved in the following artistic activities, stained glass windows, mosaic and murals in BVM church, Winnipeg, MB; mosaic, iconostasis and stained glass window in St. Michael church, Transcona, MB; bronze plaques, bronze tabernacle and candelabras in Sts. Vladimir Olga Cathedral, Winnipeg, MB, mosaics in Holy Family Church, Winnipeg, MB, and in St. Johns Cathedral, Edmonton, AB; stained glass windows in Resurrection Church, Dauphin, MB; mosaic and stained glass windows in Assumption Church, Portage la Prairie, MB, stained glass windows, mosaic and murals in Assumption Church, Russell, MB; stained glass windows in Holy Ghost Church, Beausejour, MB; mosaic in Assumption Church, Calgary, AB; bronze doors in Wilcox College (for Msgr. Athol Murrey), Wilcox, SK; and many stained glass windows and mosaics in various chapels. Some of the secular nature art projects executed by Roman in Winnipeg are: the Famine monument in front of City Hall, Red River Cart in Assiniboine Park and Taras Shevchenko Monument on the Legislative grounds. Prayers were sung at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 4 at Sts. Vladimir Olga Cathedral, 115 McGregor St. Divine liturgy will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 5 also at the Cathedral. Honorary pallbearers are, Dr. Leo Mol, Victor Deneka, Prof. Y. Rozumnyj, Dr. B. Bilash, Dm. Yaremchuk and Peter Kasper. Active pallbearers are Gene Happychuk, George Lewko, Steven Hrushovetz, Ostap Hawaleshka, Roman Korbutiak and P. Kurylko. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to UVAN, Children of Chernobyl Fund or a charity of your choice. VICHNAYA PAMYAT KORBAN FUNERAL CHAPEL 956-2193

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 05, 2005