On October 2, the Town of Wallkill unveiled a new display at its municipal center, boasting beautiful bowls and wood panels with intricate colors and patterns. These pieces were made by Ronda Niski, a longtime resident of the Middletown-Wallkill area who has been creating decoupage art for several years.
Niski began making art in 2012; she and her friend were dancers and enjoyed creating their own costumes. In 2019, she grew interested in decoupage, the art of cutting out pictures and gluing them onto materials like glass and wood. She found decoupage very decompressing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she enjoyed experimenting with different designs and materials.
“I watched several craft videos, and I thought decoupage was intriguing because you can do so many things with it. Decoupage allows you to use paper with different designs and create your own combinations. There’s really endless possibilities,” Niski said on October 16. “I started making decoupage art before COVID, so I was doing it while we were all shut down and working from home. It was an extremely stressful time because I was working from home and didn’t know what the future would hold. I found decoupage to be like a medication, and it kept my mind busy.”
Over the years, Niski has created numerous decoupage bowls, trays, vases, and wood panels. When choosing colors and making patterns, she frequently explores dark and gothic themes. One of Niski’s biggest inspirations is Frederic Church’s Olana, a historic house in Hudson that combines Victorian architecture with Middle Eastern designs.
“A couple of years ago, I went back to Olana in Hudson, New York. It’s the home of the late artist Frederic Church,” Niski said on October 16. “He used a lot of Persian and Moroccan stenciling in his home, both inside and outside. I’ve always liked that design, and I look for papers that have similar motifs.”
The most challenging part of decoupage is the paper itself; Niski explained that applying paper to curved surfaces or certain colors can be difficult on occasion, resulting in a final piece different from what she envisioned. She asserted, however, that these annoyances are part of the learning process, helping her refine her patterns.
“The materials don’t always cooperate, especially when you’re trying to put flat paper on a curved surface,” Niski said on October 16.
“Sometimes blue changes the color of paper, sometimes two different papers don’t look good next to each other, and sometimes the paper breaks apart. I won’t know if these things will happen until I’m working on the project, and sometimes I’ll think ‘maybe this wasn’t a good idea.’ But that’s part of the process, and I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work.
Niski has displayed her artwork at a few different places, including the UpFront Exhibition Space in Port Jervis, Sunrise Bowls in Middletown, and the Artery Gallery in Milford. When she learned that the Town of Wallkill was looking to display local artwork and photography, she reached out and got her pieces displayed at the town hall soon after. Niski was thrilled with the opportunity to display her artwork at the municipal center, and she felt it was a big step toward getting her name out there.
“I called Luz Pesick (chief of staff) and emailed her some things. I brought some pieces to the town hall, and she displayed them that day,” Niski said on October 16. “I was pretty happy, because it’s hard for me to put myself out there. So when I took the chance and the town displayed my pieces, it was very complimentary.”
To see more of Niski’s artwork, visit her Facebook page “Kathleena Moon Art”.