Excerpt from Issue 4 (March, 2021) of The Huts Magazine. Read about Joanna Pilarczyk Radecka and her works. 

Every city, country and town possess a certain level of excitement in a person–it could be gloomy, uninteresting and sometimes vibrant. And these features can perfectly be depicted by using the colours that best describe the feeling, depicting experiences from the artist’s perspective. For the Figurative painter, Joanna Pilarczyk Radecka, she prefers to capture the simple, significant everyday moments of life. And she draws inspirations from the energy of London she moved to years ago. 

Pilarczyk was born in Gubin, a Polish town on the border of Germany. As a child, she often visited her grandparents who lived in a tiny beautiful village surrounded by forest. At 15, she moved to Zielona Gora, a small city near my hometown. Here she studied Art at the City College followed by an MA at the Zielona Gora University. After university, she had been running a small art business for a few years, where she met her future husband Jarek who was about to leave for London. Despite the distance, their relationship survived. In 2012, she took the plunge and moved to London to join him. Her sister, who was already living and working in London, helped her adjust to the new big city environment. She quickly fell in love with London with its people. That was the first thing that struck her - many people from so many places, so many languages and cultures.

Pilarczyk’s vibrate oil paintings on each page are from her latest series �?Intimate Times’, which started during the isolation caused by the Covid Pandemic. She says, �?In my colourfullydecorated flat filled with plants, and isolated from family and friends, my surroundings and my partner became my only world, more intensely experienced and observed than ever before. My heightened observations led to the creation of these paintings. Much of my work from this time focuses on self-portraits, my relationship with nature, my cats and my husband during this time together, sharing quiet moments without words spoken. I am inspired by life and everything within. I believe living and feeling becomes the greatest inspiration.’

When asked about her art making, Pilarczyk says, �?My big pleasure is to observe the light and play with it, find a good composition and translate the reality into painted emotions. I want the viewer to feel the sunlight from my pictures, to enjoy the vibrant colour and the positive atmosphere of a dreamland which I create on the canvas. I like to share a piece of my safe, intimate space where I can still find the inspiration.’

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU START PAINTING?

I started drawing and painting at the age of five and when I was older I knew that I wanted to be an artist. My uncle who showed me how to draw my favorite characters from cartoons was a big encouragement. In kindergarten I loved to paint animals and princesses. My twin sister Ania was good at creating male characters. Other kids loved what we created and constantly asked us to paint something for them. My parents realized that my sister and I were very creative so they signed us up for after school art classes in the local community centre. In primary school, it was very clear to me that I was going to go to Art College so I took every opportunity to learn more about art techniques. I was lucky to have great teachers from the very beginning up to University. I was so focused on art, I spent every summer taking part in Art Plein Air, a yearly summer event which took place in Poland, Germany and France. Through my formative years, I was always fascinated by people and I focused my art on portraiture. In London I began to experiment with various mediums such as watercolour, ink and digital painting. With the encouragement of a close woman friend I took my first step in organising several art classes in North London where I taught Live Portrait drawing, Acrylic and Watercolours techniques. Working with other people and getting to know other local artists made me more creative too and I enjoyed sharing my knowledge.

WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND YOUR COLOURFUL ART PIECES?

I started working on the ‘Intimate Times’ series during the Pandemic. I had some difficult moments when I was faced with questions of who I was, what my goals, and fears were. I came to understand that my inspiration was very close, in the person who is my partner in life and work. I finally became aware of what I wanted. I started to paint scenes full of clear, vibrant colours and light. The fact that my studio is in my home and the beautiful sunny weather we had in the first London lockdown made it feel easy at that time. I spent much of my time relaxing on the balcony, reading the books and enjoying growing flowers and plants. In that strange time I realized how important it is to focus on the positivity of a single moment and also how meditation helped me become more self-aware. I wanted to bring my admiration of light, beauty, the human body, nature and female sensibility into my paintings.

CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOUR USUAL MORNINGS ARE?

On Mondays and Thursdays I wake up earlier than usual, around 8.30 as I have to get ready to teach art classes in the local Community Center and local Hub in Haringey. After a light breakfast I leave home at around 10. My watercolour classes are generally few hours long. Usually after the class I have a lunch with my group at our favorite cafe based in the same building. I am back home around 3pm and after a second coffee I am ready to work on my paintings or do some ‘admin jobs’ such as applying to enter art shows, working on my website and social media posts.

On days where I don’t rush to art classes I wake up around 9.30 and take my time with a breakfast:) I really enjoy lazy sunny mornings. My cats Sumo and Mia are craving some attention after the night sleep. I feed them and play with them for a bit and after coffee I am getting ready to start with painting. Jarekmy husband works at home too so we usually talk about our tasks for the day and go to work in separate rooms.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE UNIQUE STEPS YOU TAKE WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE ART BLOCKS?

When I struggle with a painting I have to take one or two days off and before I come back to work on it. I find it hard to leave an unfinished piece and move forward with different painting. I prefer to figure out my problem and make sure that I am happy with the final result. I noticed that it is important for me to paint every day. I try to avoid a long break as after one I struggle even more. When I feel like I don’t have a good idea for my next painting I like to chat with my partner or my friends about it. Often during those conversations and discussions about my art and inspirations I come up with simple solutions which evolve in time into solid ideas and projects.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATIONS FROM?

People have always been a great inspiration to me. During my student days in Poland and later when I moved to multicultural London, people have been my biggest source of inspiration. I love to paint portraits as I think that there is nothing more interesting than the human face and the story of this person behind their eyes. My series of paintings - ‘Nightlife’ and ‘I See You’ were inspired by people who I met in my neighbourhood. Since the Pandemic, I started to work on self-portraits and portraits of my partner only. Isolation from other people made it a natural decision. After a year and half, I still continue to find inspiration within my own flat-studio and my relationship with my husband and my two lovely cats. I find it very interesting to observe my everyday life and find those special moments. Sometimes it is just a beautiful light coming through the window, reflecting on my plants and flowers, or the variety of patterns and colours which give me the first idea of a new painting. Often, it’s a conversation with Jarek or a memory of a recent dream.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ART PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH?

Before I start working on a painting, I take few photos of myself in various positions. I usually wait for the right light in my flat. I live in London so it is not often that I have a wonderful sunny day. I set up some space to photo shoot with various interesting fabrics and patterns which I can find in my room. My flat-studio is full of plants and flowers and I like to capture them in my paintings too. I take a lot of photos of them in different time during the day to catch different light and shades of green. Based on the reference photos I work on the digital sketch for the painting, basic composition which may change later during the painting process. When the project is ready, I start with a pencil sketch on the canvas before I start to paint. I like to work with a bold and clean colour palette. I mainly use oils with addition of fluorescent acrylics and spray paint. They add this unique, summer vibe to my paintings. I don’t try to paint in very realistic way, rather prefer to simplify every object and work with block of colours. I start from light shades and then add contrast so I can always find a right balance of light and shadow in the whole composition. I used to paint very quickly finishing one piece in 2-3 days.

Now I prefer take more time and think more about each step before making decisions.

THE BRIGHT COLORS IN YOUR WORKS ARE THE MOST NOTABLE QUALITIES. HOW DOES COLOUR PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN YOUR WORKS?

When I was growing up, the world seemed quite grey, but I occasionally saw flashes of neon colour from American Television, which I craved to add to my paintings. A big city like London, with its vibrant colours, where I am surrounded by people from all over the world, is exciting and inspiring to me. I also draw inspiration from street art, graffiti, animation, and video. The need of colour in my life surprises me. I feel much happier when I am surrounded by vibrant colourful patterns and I want to transfer the positivity of this vibrant palette into my paintings. I often use complementary colours to animate the subject. I like using neon pink against the lime green of a leaf or a splash of turquoise.

DURING THE PANDEMIC, SOME ARTISTS FACED NUMEROUS DOWNFALLS. HOW DID YOU UTILIZE THE LOCKDOWN?

Before the pandemic, I was working for commercial companies as a freelance artist or as an art educator who runs art classes in North London so I wasn’t able fully focus on my personal work. In some way the isolation from previous commitments was a blessing. It gave me time to learn much more about myself as a person and artist. I experimented with various media working for a while in ink on watercolour paper and creating an abstract landscapes. I also opened an Art Shop on Etsy with my partner where we both sell some smaller works.

During that time, I was contacted by my agent, Virginia who helped me understand what is important in the art market and what were the next steps I had to take to grow my career. She made me realised that my figurative oil paintings are strong and that I should focus on them. It was that point where I started taking my career as an artist very seriously.

I READ IN AN INTERVIEW ABOUT YOU FINDING YOUR MODELS AMONGST ATTENDING STUDENT, OTHER ARTISTS AND PEOPLE FROM YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD. DID YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM CHANGE AFTER?

Not really, they definitely follow my work on social media. I think that I am more recognisable as an artist in my neighbourhood and people who I used to paint enjoy to see their faces on my account. Some of those paintings from ‘I See You’ series were exhibited in number of shows in North London, and some paintings were purchased by the owner of my favoritelocal cafe. I have seen people coming there and taking the photos of the paintings on the walls. I am sure that they recognise some of their friends.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ACHIEVEMENT YOU HAVE RECEIVED IN BEING AN ARTIST?

Being a finalist of Women United Art Prize 2021 was very rewarding. It was a big surprise and I am still feeling good about it. Also I am enjoying the experience of exhibiting in London galleries and Art Fairs. Those exhibitions summarize my hard work and I feel like I achieved something.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT PAINTING?

When I am not painting or teaching I spend my time on admin job. Being an artist is a business so it is important for me to work on my website, social media posts and look for opportunities to exhibit and collaborate with other artists. I do some research on the galleries which interest me and follow the work of artists who inspire me. Filling out the forms for group shows or competitions takes quite a chunk of time. Also, lately I have had some interest from a number of art magazines and as a result have had extensive interviews to answer. This has really been beneficial for me as I have become more aware of myself as an artist. I like to be well organised and my calendar is full of notes and deadlines.

Recently I started to attend online workshops with Gita Joshi, art curator, author of ‘Show your Art’ book and ‘Art Seen’ magazine, creator of The Curator’s Salon where I had opportunity to exhibit few times. She is a tremendous source of knowledge. I have also discovered many wonderful women who run Art Collectives that provide great opportunities for emerging artists. They keep me busy and I am grateful for that.

When I relax I like to read crime books, meet my friends in the park or just play video games with my husband.

DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS?

From 24th January I have an exhibition at J/M Gallery in Notting Hill that I am really looking forward to. I am exhibiting with Ted Wong, an abstract artist based in San Francisco, and with Hannah Nijsten, a painter based in London. The private view is on Friday 28th so I would like to invite you all if you are currently in London. I am also taking part in The Other Art Fair from 17th – 20th March at the Old Truman Brewery in London.I also have plans to show my paintings alongside artist Daniel Freaker in May.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR RECENT SERIES?

My most recent works made during the Pandemic consist of self-portraits and portraits of my partner .We are both depicted either solo or together. It was the first time I fully focused on myself and my partner as a subject for my paintings. I found self-portraits to be a challenge, but over time I became more confident and able to express exactly what I wanted to. After a year and a half I still find this exploration of myself, my relationship with my husband and pets unfinished. My home is located on the upper floors of an apartment building and is filled with light even on a winter’s day. As I previously mentioned it is also filled with colour and plants. I love the atmosphere when the sunlight highlights all colours around me, warms my skin, and with the magic of imagination it transform my small flat into an exotic place. Those scenes from my paintings are portals to a different world without any worries.