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My artistic muse is intricately intertwined with the splendour of nature, the elegance of the human form, and the symphony of science and mathematics, all of which serve as the bedrock for my emotional and experiential visions. My predominant artistic medium is acrylic painting, yet I also adeptly traverse the digital realm, in sculpture, furniture creation, NFT’s and photography.
Beyond visual arts, my creative involvement extends to music and video production, supported by a rich tapestry of past engagements in film, theatre, and commercial projects My artistic voyage spans across diverse mediums, enabling me to unearth an array of materials and techniques, nurturing a profound amalgamation of skills and insights. The pursuit of artistic expression is a perpetual exploration for me, and have exhibited in Spain, the United States, and Canada since 1996, with a digital footprint extending to virtual showcases. For further details on these exhibitions, I welcome you to explore the comprehensive archive available on my website.
Mark, your work is a unique confluence of nature, human form, science, and mathematics. Can you describe how these elements interact in your creative process and how they influence the narratives or emotions you wish to convey through your art?
Observations of nature and spending many years sketching the human form in live figure life drawing sessions combined with my insatiable appetite for scientific revelations and discoveries and intrinsically interesting concepts in mathematics constantly spur my imagination. Getting a grasp on these concepts and combining disparate elements can ignite me emotionally and lead to my creative interpretations and develop my personal narrative often in serendipitous ways.
You have a remarkable ability to navigate between traditional mediums like acrylic
painting and digital realms including NFTs and photography. What challenges and
opportunities do you encounter when shifting between these mediums, and how do they complement each other in your body of work?
Learning and utilizing as many techniques as I can understand and practice gives me a wide range of materials and methods to express myself. At times it is challenging to decide which way I will proceed and what I can use to best achieve the results I’m after. Initially an idea presents itself and I will experiment with anything I can to eventually come to the method and materials I will use to achieve the results I’m after. Keeping up with, and discovering new methods and technologies, be they physical, digital or conceptual opens up other discoveries of opportunities to express myself.
Your artistic endeavours extend into music and video production, enriched by a diverse background in film, theatre, and commercial projects. How do these experiences inform your visual art, and do you see your work in these different domains as separate entities or interconnected pieces of a larger artistic vision?
Working freelance, it is always necessary to take on projects which I am not familiar with. I have had to develop solutions within the constraints of time and budget as well as best expressing the concept that was required. Although very challenging, this opened up many new vistas. Often this would require a great deal of experimentation and searching for materials and methods which I might not be accustomed to using. I would have to learn and teach myself how to solve the various issues that would come up but, while doing this, ideas would come to mind. In that respect there was a great connectivity between many assignments and my creations. Working in various realms I had the opportunity to be exposed to professional techniques and equipment and was always interested in what was going on around me, not just in my area of expertise, but in those of other professions.
Throughout your artistic voyage, you've explored an array of materials and techniques. Could you share a particularly transformative discovery you've made in your exploration of new mediums or techniques, and how it has shaped your subsequent creations?
I have had the opportunity to learn how to use all of the equipment in a shop be it saws and lathes or milling machines and spray paint equipment. I have learned how to work with wood, metal, plastic and mould making just mention a few materials and with that
constantly springs ideas and visions. For example, at one time I had to use a vacuform
machine to create some reliefs in plexiglass. After cutting away the necessary pieces I
realize there was a lot of waste material left over and I felt bad about throwing it out. The idea then occurred to me of utilizing this material to do a series about waste which I called ‘Obfuscation’. Over many years I have taught myself how to use a plethora of
computer programs and with that came a great deal of trial and error. Fortunately, many
times serendipity and the ‘happy accident’ would occur and through that my techniques and style evolved. Studying and understanding the potential of NFT’s also necessitated
the understanding of crypto currencies and the realm of the meta-verse in order to best
utilize this and with that, new methods, styles and techniques.
Since beginning your exhibition journey in 1996, your art has been showcased in Spain, the United States, Canada, and virtual platforms. How has your work evolved over this time, and what insights can you share about the impact of different exhibition spaces—physical and digital—on the reception of your art?
Practically speaking, having handled shipping of large pieces and the complexity and
expense, I have mostly switched to canvas and stretchers which can be disassembled as opposed to on masonite and board which cannot. Some of the paintings I was shipping were 8 feet long and on masonite with a solid oak frames. Having the constraints of budget always an issue, I found that virtual are a viable substitute to physical exhibitions which can be quite demanding and many times beyond my fiscal reach. This is also a good platform for my video creations which, as much as I would like, do not require my attendance. I have always had to be self-reliant and find that it’s necessary to adapt, evolve and remain flexible in order to continue to do what I cannot, not do. The responses have been very good and as much as I am open to critique and commentary, the best have been lengthy and concise whereas the least favourite have been abrupt and occasionally rude and, having said that, at least I illicit a strong reaction. When I present my work I hope that the titles and pieces are enough and I don’t see how lengthy and profound explanations are necessary although I do understand that expressing myself in my style might sometimes be difficult to comprehend. One of my favourite descriptions of my style was - “existenciaismo militante” / militant existentialism regarding a solo exhibition I had presented in Spain.
Online exhibition: https://www.jaamzin.com/mark-krawczynski