“Fascination with colour and form coupled with a search for understanding through art lies at the heart of my work. I rely on both traditional and modern media, focusing in particular on oil painting, drawing and digital art techniques.”
Almost anything can be the subject of artistic improvisation, however some topics appear more important because of their direct impact on life. The experience of living in a multicultural city like London reaffirms the truth that we must cooperate and stick together in all our troubles. Instead of dismissing problems and the rights of others, we should strive to understand them. In an age of technology and computer screens, we should be doing our best to seek out human faces.
The experience of pandemic of the past years has underscored the value of this real interaction. The global switch to a Skype and Zoom world of online communication has been ultimately unsatisfying. As humans, we crave genuine connection with our friends and families, as well as with nature.
In the artist's opinion, the most important subjects and projects in her portfolio are: Identity & Co Existence, Togetherness, Digital Human, Underground, Beyond Here, Big Multicultural Cities, and Nature, among others.
Maria is a painter and graphic artist, with a portfolio that also includes pastels, drawings, traditional printmaking and installation. Her work showcases a clear faculty for both traditional and modern media.
She holds a Master’s Degree from the Painting, Graphics and Sculpture department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan and has since also studied Exposition and Display at The National College of Arts in Poznan.
Maria exhibits regularly in London, at galleries such as The Mall Gallery, La Galleria Pall Mall, The Menier Gallery, The Espacio Gallery, Chelsea Old Town Hall, The Orleans House Gallery, The Bargehouse, The Oxo Tower, The Orangery Gallery in Holland Park, The Fitzrovia Gallery, The Gallery at Willesden Green, The Montage and others.
She has also exhibited globally, at galleries in Poland, England, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia and Malta, as well as further afield, in the United States, Russia, Syria, and Cuba and Latin America.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
2025 The Pastel Society’s Visitors Choice Prize - The Pastel Society 125th Annual Exhibition, London, UK
2024 The Pastel Society’s Visitors Choice Prize - The Pastel Society 125th Annual Exhibition, London, UK
2022 Heatherley’s Award for a Drawing - Course of Life Drawing. The Award For The Chelsea Art Society 73rd Annual Open Exhibition
2022 Winner of the Pastel Society Catalogue Award 2nd Prize, The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2022, Mall Galleries, London, England
2022 The Spirit of Holland Park Award - The Orangery - Holland Park, London W8 6LU, England
2019 The Award of the Head of the Department of Graphics and Drawing at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ostrava. The 6th International Triennial of Graphic Digital Arts – Gdynia 2019, Poland
2019 Agnes Reeve Memorial Award for a Painting of London - Chelsea Art Society Open Exhibition, London, England
2017 Requiem won the 2nd place 2D category at EAST-WEST Art awards, London, England.
2017 Blackfriars Bridge nominated for the VAO Prize
2016 Circle of Life won the 2D category at EAST-WEST Art awards, London, England.
2015 Won the Roy Rasmussen Award at the FPS Open Exhibition, London, England.
2014 Nominated at IV International Biennial of Graphic Digital Arts in Gdynia, Poland.
2014 Won the Heatherley Prize for Drawing by The Heatherley School of Fine Art, Chelsea Art Society Open Exhibition, England
2013 Won the Honorary Jury Award at the VII International Biennale of Painting and Unique Fabric in Gdynia, Poland
2013 Won The Spirit of Holland Park Prize, London, England 1989 Won the Scholarship of the Minister of Culture, Poland
EDUCATION
2016 – 2017 Etching and Screen-printing courses at the Putney School of Art and Design
2005 – 2009 City and Islington College
2006 – 2007 Graphic Design at the WMC College in London, UK
1989 – Scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture
1983 – 1988 MA Fine Art from the Painting, Graphics and Sculpture Department at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University/Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland
1978 – 1983 Exposition and Display at The National College of Arts in Poznan
MEMBER OF
The Pastel Society – PS
Chelsea Art Society – CAS
The Free Painters and Sculptors – FPS
The Friends of Holland Park
LondonEast West Artlink – EWAAC
British Women Artists
The Association of Polish Artists in Great Britain – APA
(serving as a committee member between 2009 and 2013)
The Brent Artists Resource - BAR
ArtCan
The Association of Polish Artists in Poland – ZPAP
WarsawInternational Print Triennial Society, KrakowInternational Association of Art
IAA/AIAP, Paris
