Elzbieta Sikorska
Silver Spring, Maryland
Website
www.elzbietasikorska.com
How would youdescribe your work?
I find it challenging to describe my work because it is always changing. Topics fluctuate, and I like to try new techniques. What stays constant is my interest in nature and my attempt to understand and present it as a complex phenomenon affected by time. I want to achieve a balance in my arts o that it is on the border of realism and abstraction, with a strong compositional structure and as lightly distorted significance of forms. But I can also put it more simply: I do multimedia work on paper.
What inspires you?
Many things inspire me: my walks, the landscapes I encounter, nature’s mystery and decay that I observe, literature, and other people’s art, old and contemporary. Conversations with other artists are meaningful as well. It always surprises me that the transition from words of poetry or any other writing to images is possible. Words can be impulses for images to appear without being illustrations. Written letters are marks, like in drawings, and they form a story, similar to a narrative in art. And there is a history of writing that I find amazing and fascinating.
Can you speak about your process?
In my recent work, the first stage is to design a composition using two different kinds of paper: heavycotton Arches watercolor paper and a handmade textured or translucent abaca paper I developed. Breaking away from the standard rectangular shape of the work is an important part of this stage. I usually apply colors to these papers so they are in harmony with each other and then glue them together before drawing on them. I develop the compositions through preliminary sketches and drawings, and I also use photography as a sketchbook in my work. Combining opaque and translucent papers provides a metaphor for the idea of visible—invisible, expressing my thoughts about nature’s visible and hidden aspects. I enjoy exploring the layers of meaning in our natural surroundings and revealing nature more as a complex process in time.
How did you become interested in art?
Like most children, I started drawing at a very young age, but unlike most children, I didn’t grow out of it. I also had a cousin six years older who was very artistic and a great model for me. She was my first teacher and critic. I don’t remember any time of doubts or thoughts about doing something other than producing art. I was very clear about my interest and already attended a high school in Poland with a program for visually gifted children. Art Academy was the natural next step.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
My list of favorite artists would be quite long, but Goya has been at the top for a long time. Long-term or short-term fascinations come and go, and they vary. The range is also considerable: I greatly admire some fellow contemporary artists, am a passionate museum-goer, and am fascinated with antiquities. And there is plenty in between, which I appreciate.
