The poetry of Erna Rosenstei was the inspiration of your paintings presented at the exhibition “Promieniowanie ciszy” (ed. “Radiation of silence”). To what extent does literature influence your work?
It is difficult to explain why I feel connected with one artist and not with another - it seems very intuitive to me. I decided to enter into a dialogue with Erna Rosenstein. Despite the time and experiences that separate us, I would find a common denominator and “thread of understanding”. That is why I’ve used her poems in which I found my own feelings and moods. It was my first such unambiguous inspiration to which I referred creatively.
What else inspires you?
I am inspired by people and art.
You took part in exhibitions in Poland, but your works were exhibited also in Hungary. Is each subsequent exhibition still a new experience and challenge for you?
Yes, of course - exhibitions are a great experience. First of all, working on the concept of the exhibition, conversations with curators, as well as working on the specific space of the exhibition. While I am working on exhibitions, I try to create also directly in the exhibition space. This is how the paintings on the gallery walls were created - they had been ephemeral activities because they were painted over after the exhibition ended - but this was also their intention, to be a link between a specific space and the concept of the exhibition, just this one time.
You claim that: “I paint until … the picture harmonizes with me.” Well, how do you know that this is the right moment and the painting can be considered finished?
I paint based on previous sketches, although they are never a determinant of the painting. There is no specific way to guide the painting, I try to be alert and focused. I am guided by the feeling of what will be created, and my intuition allows me to accept what is happening on the canvas. I often repaint fragments of my paintings, I change the colours, I paint other elements of the painting puzzle. I work on a painting for a long time, verifying its upcoming stages. The question “how” is very important to me and I do not mean painting, aesthetic issues, but working on the subject. Sometimes, when the picture irritates me, I leave it and go to the next one, after a while I come back and it happens that within a few hours I will “save” the painting. Naturally, “failed operations” happen too and sometimes what turns out to be an effective antidote to creative sorrows is working on a new painting.
What advice would you give to self-taught artists?
That they should not be afraid to experiment creatively and be interested in art.
What is your favourite colour?
Livid-blue-turquoise-purple.
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