Why Watercolor?

I chose it somewhat by chance - or maybe it chose me. In 2008 it was one of the techniques you could take the entrance exam to architecture with. The advantage of color seemed to dominate over pencil or pen, so it was a logical complementary choice.

However, what was supposed to be just a tool, after exams became unexpectedly a passion and completely drew me in. Fascinated by the work, colorful life and books of watercolor masters - such as Joseph Zbukvic or Alvaro Castagnet - I understood that more than architecture, I was interested in painting itself.

Although I didn't abandon architecture, at university almost every subject I tried to pass using watercolor. I wove it everywhere I could: in design, construction, landscape architecture. If it were possible, I'd probably try to pass even mechanics and building structures with watercolor.

In the meantime I got into Warsaw's ASP - the Faculty of Graphic Arts. In contrast to the painting faculty, watercolor was treated there as a fully legitimate artistic technique. This gave me courage and allowed me to look at what I do, not only from the technical side, but more broadly - in the context of image language, conscious decisions and the very essence of art.

I was captivated by its speed, delicacy and expressiveness, but also compactness. Both equipment and the paintings themselves didn't take up much space. I could take them everywhere - to university, plein air, on trips.

Although in Poland watercolor for a long time functioned in the shadow of oil painting on canvas, there are places in the world where it's valued on par with other techniques - and even elevated for its technical difficulty. This was additional motivation for me to engage in its development and promotion on still quite barren ground.

First watercolor exhibitions, plein airs, first watercolor internet forum in Poland - although it didn't survive the test of time and changing internet trends - in its moment was an important step. Both for promoting watercolor in Poland, and for my own path.

Today watercolor is no longer an accident or a tool. It's a conscious choice. It allows me to work quickly, make decisions without going back and focus on what's most important to me: observing the world, noticing its beauty and trying to record it in an image.