"Sea Cucamber" Painting

Monika Przerwa-Tetmajer is a Polish-born artist living and working in the United Kingdom. She graduated from the Świętokrzyska Academy in Kielce, where she studied Art Education and Fine Arts. Drawing and painting have been an important part of her life since childhood, when she first discovered her passion for visual expression and storytelling through art.

Since moving to the UK in 2006, Monika has continued to develop her artistic practice while drawing inspiration from the landscapes, culture and natural environments that surround her. In 2018, she established her own gallery, creating a space to showcase her work as well as support and promote other artists.

Nature is the central theme of Monika's work. Her paintings are inspired by the patterns, colours and rhythms found in both natural landscapes and marine ecosystems. She is particularly fascinated by the way a place develops its own character through the interaction of environment, weather, wildlife and local culture. Through her paintings, she seeks to capture not only the visual beauty of these places but also the memories and emotions they evoke.

Recent works explore two recurring themes: the rich underwater world and the landscapes of Devon, where she lives. Her celebrated painting Octopus King, created in oil paint and enhanced with gold leaf details, reflects her fascination with marine life, organic forms and the extraordinary complexity of ocean ecosystems. The work has become one of her most popular and widely collected images.

In contrast, paintings such as Devon Skyslides draw inspiration from the rolling green countryside of South West England. Combining observation with imagination, Monika transforms familiar cottages, fields and rain-filled skies into dreamlike compositions, where ribbons of water flow across the landscape, celebrating the life-giving relationship between rain, sunlight and nature's abundance.

Blending realism with decorative detail, symbolism and subtle surrealism, Monika's work invites viewers to reconnect with the natural world and the memories, emotions and stories that landscapes and environments can hold. Her paintings celebrate the beauty, diversity and interconnectedness of life both above and below the water's surface.