The Wise Owl has a friendly chat with USA based artist, Teresa Zawitkowska (Ter Ars Zawitkowska )who has a degree in business management but opted to follow her passion for art forms and is a freelance artist. She is also skilled in photography and sculpting. Her work has been published in the book ‘Jedna kreska swiata’ (Poland 2018) and ‘Inside’ magazine (Portugal 2018). Teri has participated in several group exhibitions such as ‘People’ at Karen Solem Studio & Gallery, Elmhrust (2008), ‘Felicia’ at Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago (2015), ‘International Culture Bridge’ at DANK-HAUS German Culture Centre, Scharpenberg Gallery, Chicago (2017), ‘Truth Telling’ in Portland, Oregon (2019) among others.  Her work is a part of private collections in Chicago (USA), Paris (France), Tokyo (Japan), London, Australia, Canada, Germany, Austria, Portugal etc.

Thank you, Ms Zawitkowska, for talking to The Wise Owl.  

Thank you for inviting me. It’s my pleasure ! 

Q. Let me start by asking you how you began your artistic journey. Who or what inspired you to become an artist?

A.  It all started with a question from my Mom, "Would you like to attend art school ?” My answer was “yes.” Simple as that .

Q. I have been following you on Facebook and I have seen that you do acrylic on paper, ink on paper, pencil on paper, charcoal on paper etc. Our viewers would surely like to know which is your favourite medium as an artist and which medium you find most challenging?

A. Thank you so much for supporting my work. It is much appreciated . Yes, I do experiment with a variety of mediums but my favorite one is charcoal .Charcoal is what I feel the most, that I have the most control with. At the same time, it is a wildly free medium, which makes it very challenging .

Q. Your body of work is dominated by faces or the body form. I’m sure our readers and viewers would be keen to know what it is about this form of art that you find attractive. 

A. Human body is extremely fascinating for me; it tells everything. It is a beautiful form. There is a range of emotions the human body can express. We just need to look, listen, touch...simply pay attention. I feel we keep forgetting about it, even ignoring it. In my work, I am trying to show all of this and I am trying to remind anyone who is willing to listen, about basic, simple emotions, desires, emotions, feelings, that is what is driving me to human form.

Q. I am intrigued by your ‘Book of Days’ series. Tell us about the creative inspiration behind this series of paintings.

A. 'Book of days' is my art journaling form. This particular series started this year i.e. 2022 . I practice art journaling, sketch booking, quick sketching etc since I started my art adventure but for some reason I needed to name it, to make it 'mine.' When you name something, it becomes personal. So I did it, I fulfilled my  need …

Q. Some of your paintings are posted with a philosophical name or tagline. I like the one called ‘Humanity’ and also the one with the tag line ‘Its your road and yours alone.’ Or the one that says, ‘Would you live her story’ or the ‘purity of truth’. What inspired these works of art? Do these works represent your world view?

A. Of course ! I can only show my view, my feelings, my emotions, my experience, if you will . Simply  because that’s what I know …  I do use words of wise people . Simply because they said it already and they said it way better then I will ever be  able to. 

Q. Are there any contemporary artists or traditional masters that you admire? If so, why?

A. Egon Schiele ! If I could spend one day, with a person of my choice, that would be him ! By looking at his work I feel 'truth.' That is why . Then, I would like to meet William Turner . His sophisticated, delicate touch … next would be Francisco Goya .His approach to illustrate foibles and follies in society …is everything for me. After that all the Old Masters … I mean the list is endless but if I had to choose one ,that would be Schiele ! 

Q. Did the covid lockdowns fetter your creativity? 

A. I am an introvert. I like, I prefer to work alone, in solitude . I like to joke that I was trained my whole life for this pandemic . 

Q. What brushes or paper do you use? Are there any tips you would like to give budding artists? 

A. I don’t have any favorite brand. Before I buy paper I need to touch it, if it feels good, that’s all I need to know . To be honest I hardly use brushes'  when I do, it is one that came with the paint or something . Whenever I can, I use my fingers . You wouldn’t want to see my nails :)  

A wise man once told me “just stop thinking and start feeling"… I will pass those words to other artists … and have fun ! 

Thank you so much Teri for taking time out to talk to The Wise Owl. We wish you the best in your creative journey.    

Thank you so much .Thank you for helping artists ,like myself ,in our journey .

All my best ! Love.