Collection: Emma Grzonkowski

It has always been my dream to become an artist- drawing has always fascinated me and as a child I loved nothing more than to be in my own idealistic world- sitting for hours on end- trying to encapsulate my playful imagination and put all my sketches down on paper.

The desire to create my own vision was sparked- and if I was struggling with something- I would frequently ask my dad to draw it for me. I would watch him intently and after pinning the drawing up on my bedroom wall I would copy it again and again until I got it right.

All of my paintings are usually sourced from digital photographs- taken by myself. The shots are either taken spontaneously- exposing raw emotion or are either thought out compositions taken on a time setting.

I usually enhance the images digitally on the computer and experiment with contrast and colour- to give me an idea of light and composition. I prefer to work on a slightly textural surface- to give the painting more interest- which I create simply by making expressive markings with acrylic paint with my hands. It is important that the paint is not too thick as I like to allow the paint to bleed. I tend to work with water based acrylic- in thin layers of colour which I gradually build up- light to dark. I allow the paint to dry naturally and use a lot of water- which I direct the flow of.

When the image has built up definition- I often introduce an element of chance to my work by physically throwing paint over the top of the image to break up the linear qualities. This process consists of defining and then distorting continuously. I then seal the canvas lightly with varnish for a finishing touch.