One Way Painting

Even though I was involved in the art scene and art-making since my teenage years, I never dared to call myself an artist until recently. I was born in Poland and lived there til my early twenties. During that time I worked as a Social Worker. I moved to the U.S.A. 32 years ago and started my career as a IT professional. During that time I managed to take art classes and workshops and paint during my free time. I’m still taking art classes at the School of Art Institute of Chicago pursuing certificates in Painting and Studio Art and Design. Currently, I work in multiple mediums including oil & cold wax, encaustic and photography. I’m constantly adding new mediums such as ceramics and printmaking to my artistic repertoire to have better tools to express myself. I believe that art is a very powerful therapy and has the gift of healing. After work, I would come home and paint or draw to balance my stressful day at work. Nostalgia for my life in Poland, love for sailing and hiking beautiful Tatry mountains showed up in front of my eyes on canvas. After a while, the landscapes became more abstract and less structured. I’m intuitive painter, inspired by self-discovery, relationship to nature and others, life stories, human emotions, and experiences. I’m interested in capturing meaningful moments in time and representing them in abstract expressions, mark makings and color on canvas. Every so often I start my paintings without a plan. I put down several layers of paint while experimenting with colors, textures and mark makings while using different tools such as brooms whisks, skewer, pencils etc. The process of adding and subtracting paint is an essential part of the process. By revealing older layers and building up new ones, different feelings and memories are awakened and they eventually lead to finished pieces that speak to me.