Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1953 and trained at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Nova Scotia, Canada, Gornik debuted as a painter within the turbulent New York art scene of the 1970’s and 1980’s.  At this time, surrounded by abstraction, the sensual landscapes and waterscapes that continue to be the subject matter of Gornik’s work indicated a re-examination of older sensibilities. Gornik’s contemporary and straight-forward approach to this “antique” genre of art results in images of natural beauty that are both captivating and haunting.

Gornik’s work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; the Museum of Modern Art, NY; the National Museum of American Art; Washington, DC; and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC. From August 2004 to February 2005, Gornik was honored with an exhibition at the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, NY, which reviewed her work to date. Gornik’s work was also included in the 1999 Whitney Biennial and in the American Pavilion at the 1984 Venice Biennale.