Grażyna Tarkowska
Częstochowa
Grażyna Tarkowska is a Polish painter who specialises in expressive, colourful paintings, with a focus on acrylic and oil on canvas.
Message
Grażyna Tarkowska was born in Toruń and currently lives and works in Częstochowa, in the picturesque region of the Polish Jura. She is a graduate of the Institute of Artistic Education at the Pedagogical University in Częstochowa, where she earned her degree in printmaking. She is a member of the Association of Polish Visual Art Artists (ZPAP).
Painting remains her primary field of expression. She works mainly on canvas using acrylics and oils, and also creates with pastels. She regularly participates in plein-air painting workshops, especially the traditional Jura Plein-Airs held in the unique limestone landscapes of southern Poland.
Grażyna Tarkowska has taken part in over one hundred group and solo exhibitions in Poland and abroad. Her works have been shown at international art fairs in New York, Dubai, and Beijing.
Tarkowska is also an art educator, teaching visual arts at two primary schools, where her pupils regularly win awards in art competitions of various levels.
Statement
During my university studies, the focus was almost exclusively on realistic painting—landscapes, still lifes, and traditional subjects. While I appreciated the technical discipline, I quickly realized that replicating the visible world didn’t truly inspire me. Instead, I was drawn to abstraction, where I could express a more personal, emotional reality.
For me, painting recognizable subjects—whether landscapes, animals, or portraits—is often just a starting point, an excuse to explore my own inner world. In this world, colors are liberated from realism. I’m captivated by bold, expressive hues and striking contrasts. The final composition emerges from the tension between color and form, arranged intuitively in space.
Viewers often tell me that my paintings lift their spirits. I believe these vibrant works reflect my vital energy and optimistic spirit. When I paint, I enter a state of deep focus, completely disconnected from the outside world. Afterward, I often feel physically drained, as if I’ve undergone intense exertion.
While I enjoy exploring many genres of painting in museums, the Fauvists have had the most profound influence on my work. I also deeply admire Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Miró, whose impact can be seen in some of my pieces.