“No rules to follow…”
Paul Zimmerman in conversation with Boguslawa Czarnecka
Paul Zimmerman: Your paintings range from abstractions to representational pieces. How do you select your style?
Boguslawa Czarnecka: Over time I developed an inner will for simplicity to make my artwork more powerful (getting away from representational and moving into abstract with desire to deliver high impact on the audience. It was a choice based on a shift in my inner energy, or self -state, rather than a plan to do so.
But from time to time, depending on subject I may decide to go with representational piece instead (for example, an icon, portrait …. and so on).
PZ: Do you have any particular goal in mind when you start a new piece?
BC: Yes, I always do. My goal is simple and remains the same; to create peace, love, and beauty, so I can pass only positive energy to the viewer. However, sometimes I end up with a more striking piece than originally planned.
PZ: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
BC: Transformation of my deep feelings into powerful expression that I want to share with the audience. It takes a lot of energy to pass it from one state to another (from imaginary into physical image).
PZ: What is your artistic process? How do you create your painting?
BC: My creations are made with no rules to follow and no restrictions that I would ever want to know or implement. I just let it go… But why not make it more intriguing? For the very curious there is a code composed of colors arranged in a specific sequence, allowing one to read it as if it were a letter. Anyway, no need to exercise, just stop and wonder about the painting….it will speak to you anyway.
PZ: How do you know when the painting is finished?
BC: It is never truly finished (perhaps the viewer could extend its vitality if engaged enough), but for me, as long as I can find enough satisfaction in it (when there is a flow of harmony….and so on…) then it is finalized and signed.
PZ: Have your practice change overtime?
BC: Yes, an innovative process never stops. Same way as everything around us is constantly changing. Me and my art are a part of this change, and there is no escape; I am not trying to replicate the past.
PZ: How would you describe yourself as an artist?
BC: It is the most difficult question indeed. Well, I am the one “from another planet.” Constantly running away from reality. All that I miss, I will put into my artwork. Are we humans? Or something else?
PZ: Which artist influenced you?
BC: Yes, yes, yes, many of them. Being a child, I used to stare at a couple of Russian paintings by Victor Vasnetsov, my parents put on the wall in our apartment. An icon (Black Madonna) I did copy at age of 6. Later on it was famous Kandinsky, Wyspianski, Pollock, Miro, Rothko, Warhol, and so on…. just from admiring and their masterpieces I was able to add to my current creative process for sure!
PZ: What is art for you?
BC: It is my native language. There is a strong barrier in me that makes it hard to express myself using words or language, so I am fulfilling myself via my expressive artwork. It is a tool of communication free of any restrictions, such a wonderful gift!
PZ: How does the pandemic influence your artwork and sensibility?
BC: As a result of the pandemic, I decided to change the theme of my solo exhibition because I truly got overwhelmed with all the negatives coming from the news (Covid, deaths and so on…) Everything I want at this time is to share the wisdom from the past. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, and the true importance of it. This is why the title of my incoming solo exhibition is “Corinthians 13”: “The Way of LOVE”; Yes, the paintings depict a Biblical theme.