Alicja Mielczarek
Nadine: How did you get into art? You studied with the Mastery Program. How was that experience for you?
Alicja: I think it all started as far back as when I was a child. I remember that I liked to imagine a world where everything was empty, pure, white nothing. I had my paintbrushes and crayons there and with them, I could create this whole new world. The only limitation was my imagination. When I grew up I forgot about it but I still felt some kind of pulling toward art.
At the beginning of 2020, I decided that I will do anything I can to start living my dream of being a full-time artist. Not a long after that I found Milan Art Institute on the internet and decided to join their Mastery Program. And I’m so glad I did because I’ve learned a lot from them. It was not only painting classes but also a big self-discovery journey.
I remember the first time I painted on a large canvas. I sat in front of this huge, pure, white nothing. I was hypnotized by it. Then I took my paintbrush and laid down some paint on it. It was like a click in my head. I felt like my biggest dream from childhood found a way into reality.
N: What challenges have you had to overcome on your art journey and what did you learn from those challenges?
A: One of my biggest challenges was being true to myself, being vulnerable I believe. I still struggle with that sometimes. I remember in the beginning I even didn't want to show my character in my paintings or in the colours I was using, not only in the words that I use to describe them. I feel like now with every new painting I'm uncovering my feelings toward the world a little bit more one step at a time. I realised how much of a relief it can be for someone to know that another person can feel the same. That we are not alone with our emotions. The scariest step, of actually being vulnerable, paradoxically, is the best and most fulfilling and rewarding way to connect to others.
N: How would you describe your art?
A: My art represents mostly emotions. I always had problems with expressing and describing my thoughts in words, so my art is like my visual poetry about the beauty of experiences in life and the world. I would describe my style as abstract realism, where through abstract I want people to immerse in their fantasy, and through realism, they can relate to the peace. Doesn't matter if it's human or animal in the painting because they are all just a way to represent what's the meaning beneath it.
N: Walk us through a day in your life.
A: That's a difficult question because almost none of my days look the same! I don't like to be trapped in a routine of everyday life. My usual day looks more like a spontaneous gush of creativity mixed with, let's be honest, procrastination (which I'm trying to overcome!). I don't have scheduled plans, but I like making a "to-do" list to not forget about anything.
N: What are some of your favourite tools? Can you tell us a little bit about your art process?
A: It's so many of them! When I'm entering art supplies shops I feel like a child on Christmas! My favourite brush is medium filbert because you can have so much variety of brushstrokes with it. My process is kind of similar to how my day looks like. I like to experiment a lot. But usually, I'll start with modeling paste to put some more texture on the canvas and after that, I'm having fun with acrylic paint and any mixed media materials I find interesting at the moment. Every piece is finished with oil paint on the top to give it more juicy and vibrant colours.
N: Does art help you in other areas of your life?
A: It does help me a lot! To be honest it's almost impossible to separate art from other areas of my life because art is my life. When I'm looking at a sky, I'm thinking about the colours I can use, when I'm feeling/experiencing something or I see someone's emotions I want to express it with a visual image. And because I decided to be an artist my environment changed. I met amazing, creative people, and that's very important to me because no one will understand an artist better than another artist. I feel like with art I have a sense of purpose in my life.
N: Any exciting projects you are working on that you can tease?
A: Yes! Something very interesting is going to happen most probably this summer. Together with Jemma Clifford and Nadine Hamilton we are working on a very exciting project. I cannot tell you much yet but make sure to have some free time in your calendars around the end of August. It's for sure something you would want to be part of, believe me! It’s something I have been dreaming of organising for a long time!
N: What tips can you give an aspiring artist?
A: Artists' life is full of ups and downs so sometimes I like to write notes to my future self. I think it would be the advice I wrote down for myself a while ago.
Don’t forget that you are doing it to have fun. Have fun with every step and it doesn’t mean loudly expressing your happiness to the world (but you can), sometimes fun is just don’t listening to the voice in your head who’s telling you „you will mess it up” and instead, doing what you want to do, and having quiet inside satisfaction of being a little rebel.
Visit: www.alicjamielczarek.com