Maria Kaleta PS

Statement

For me, art is a source of joy, but also a way to live. It pushes the artist to observe the world more freely, noticing beauty in the diversity of life. It also teaches a certain modesty and appreciation for the creation that surrounds us.  

Multiculturalism has always been an important topic in my work. My home town, Kępno, was a melting pot of religions and cultures growing up. I then moved to London in my forties and dove into one of the most multicultural cities in the world. I am drawn to the pulse of these urban spaces, their energy and dynamism, as well their history. I like the idea that they become a living chronicle of events, transforming before our eyes – and us with them. I feel at home sketching on the streets of London, or on the London Underground, whether through “pixels” on my iPad, or with a pencil and sketchbook.

Ever since the rise of digital in the early 2000s, I have also been interested in the virtual world – the interaction between the real and this fourth dimension. Most recently, the pandemic brought everyone to the screen as we sought to maintain relations with loved ones. It underscored the value of real interaction, as we found the world of Skype and Zoom ultimately unsatisfying. As humans, we crave genuine connection with friends, family and nature. I have always felt at home in the outdoors and I enjoy involving natural landscapes in my work, learning from their composition of colours and forms.

I suppose the thread running through all of this is an attraction to big ideas. I try in my work (to varying degrees of success) to convey something about everyday life, existence, identity, as well as friendship and/or loneliness. The experience of living in a multicultural city like London reaffirms the truth that we must stick together in our troubles. Instead of dismissing the problems and rights of others, we should strive to understand them. In an age of technology and computer screens, we should be doing our best to seek out human faces.

Methodology

I always knew I wanted to be an artist, from the moment I started drawing in the sand as a young girl in our family garden. I left my home town at the age of 14 to pursue this dream and receive formal art training in Poznań, a city in western Poland.

I spent five years at a school of exhibition and display there, learning for the first time about artistic principles and how to present works in an artistic space. I then studied painting, graphics and sculpture for another five years at the Poznań Academy of Fine art.

I therefore started life as an artist through classical training. But this education also taught me to experiment with a variety of techniques – something which I continue to this day. My portfolio includes a range of pastels, paintings, graphics, drawings, traditional printmaking and installation, in a mixture of traditional and modern media.

Each of these techniques inspires me with their possibilities. They often complement each other, revealing or deepening different perspectives on the subject. Yet in recent years, I have been particularly attracted to pastels, for their diversity and for their attention to form and colour – something which is always on show at the Pastel Society.

When I work, I try above all to capture the atmosphere and character of a place – its colour, in all senses of the word. Most often I begin with a sketch of the scene’s composition. I start by observing nature, but then let myself be led by the drawing. I add subsequent layers, which become increasingly emotional and improvised. I am not afraid to experiment with this, using contrasting colours or bold lines and forms to convey the dynamics of the situation – for example, the bustling cityscapes of London.

For inspiration on how to use colour, I look to a range of artists, from Mark Rothko to Jacek Malczewski to J. M. W. Turner. Magdalena Abakanowicz is a great inspiration for me in terms of her boldness of artistic decision.

More often than not, I feel the need to finish a work of art. It may not be complete in terms of technique, but I do not correct it after finishing because I like to leave each work as a record of its place and time. However, I often make more than one artwork of any place. I change the composition or colour or lighting each time to reflect the fact these subjects are alive and always changing. To this end, sketching is very important to me, and you’ll often find me on the street or public transport with sketchbook in hand.

Bio

I was born in Kępno, a small town in south-western Poland. I moved to Poznań in my teens, and later to Warsaw. In 2004, my family moved to London and we have lived here ever since. I have been an artist all my life.