Longtime Winthrop professor Paul Martyka dies unexpectedly

Paul Martyka, a longtime fine arts professor at Winthrop University, died unexpectedly Wednesday, the school announced in a news release.

The Detroit, Mich., native taught drawing, painting and printmaking in the Department of Fine Arts. Funeral arrangements have not been completed.

On Tuesday, Martyka’s friends and students held a prayer vigil in his printmaking studio in the campus’ Rutledge Building, after the professor had been taken into intensive care.

“Paul Martyka brought an unusual perspective to our art students,” said Tom Stanley, department chair. “They regarded him fondly and with respect because of his influence and generosity as he urged others to become passionate about their work. As alum Joey Hays pointed out, ‘He was such an amazing artist, teacher, mentor, and friend.’ Paul was all about his students.”

Chad Dresbach, chairman of the Department of Design, said Martyka was a major factor in his decision to work at Winthrop. “His loss will be felt profoundly, and the gleam of the institution is slightly dimmed by this loss,” Dresbach said. “A great man will be missed.”

Before coming to Winthrop in 1979, Martyka worked as master printer at the Michigan Workshop of Fine Prints and completed a staff assistantship at the University of Michigan. In addition, his art has been displayed in many private, institutional, and corporate art collections and exhibitions.

In his work, Martyka references cultural identities or art historical pieces as inspiration for color and form. In 2008, Martyka's collage, “Totemic Talk,” was featured in the S.C. State Museum’s 20th Anniversary Juried Exhibition, and won Best in Show and the museum’s Purchase Award. His collages also have been featured in an Arts Council of York County exhibition.

At Winthrop, an exhibition of his hand-printed cut paper collages, “Conversations with an Echo,” ran in 2009 in the Patrick Gallery. One of the collages still hangs in the DiGiorgio Campus Center classroom across from the lobby desk.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Longtime Winthrop professor Paul Martyka dies unexpectedly."