Artist StatementI was born and raised in Poland. I graduated from the School of Fine Arts located in a beautiful town in the northeast of the country. I was always drawn to portraiture. Although I have worked with various media, colored pencil is by far my favorite. Since I spent most of my career doing portraits for commission, I was never able to amass a portfolio of originals, because they went to my customers. In order to build up a body of work, I started to make illustrations. I have been fortunate to have my now teenaged daughter as inspiration. It has been no less than fascinating observing her grow and transform into a beautiful, emotional and supremely complex young woman. Not surprisingly, she is my main model. When I am not busy with portraits of Olivia, I find myself easily falling into fashion illustrations. Among other things, these pieces help to fill the gaps and overcome any blocks or dry spells I experience from time to time. It also allows me to work with other media including ink and water color. I hope to continue exploring this style and expand on it, while still concentrating on portraits in pencil.