Into the Textured World of Artist Emilia Gałecka-Kościańska

The artwork of Emilia Gałecka-Kościańska is a journey through the world of emotions, captured on canvas using colorful patches and abstract forms. She works primarily with acrylics on canvas, enriching her compositions with watercolor pencils and finishing them with satin varnish, which gives the paintings a subtle shine and depth.

Nature is her constant source of inspiration. She translates its forms, colors, and rhythms into the language of abstraction, creating emotional landscapes. Each color combination, each patch of color in her paintings, is an echo of lived experiences and feelings.

In her artistic work, she closely examines emotions - both past and present. She analyzes their impact on her life, personal growth, and creative development. The painting process becomes a form of meditation and self-reflection for her. By applying successive layers of paint, mixing colors, and creating abstract compositions, she tries to understand and process her inner experiences.

Her paintings are an invitation for the viewer to embark on their own emotional journey. The abstract form allows for individual interpretation, enabling everyone to find echoes of their own experiences and feelings in them. She believes that art has the power not only to express the artist's emotions but also to evoke them in the viewer, creating a bridge between our inner worlds.

Through her work, she strives for a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her. Each painting is not only a record of an emotional state but also a step in the process of personal growth and self-awareness. The artist hopes that her works inspire others to engage in similar reflection and to discover the richness of their own emotional lives.

Interview with Artist Emilia Gałecka-Kościańska

Every artist embarks on a unique journey. Can you tell us about your path to becoming an artist—what first inspired you to pick up a brush, and how has your style evolved over the years? Are there key moments or influences that have shaped the work you produce today?

I come from a family where art was always present, though at an amateur level. So it was natural that I too began to create. Although my artistic beginnings were associated with oil paints - at a time when acrylic paints were not yet widely available in Poland - my favorite medium was pencil and charcoal. It was with these techniques that I most eagerly drew portraits, often depicting family members. Later, while preparing for university entrance exams, I expanded my repertoire to include still life's, architecture, and flowers. However, I never experimented with abstraction.

During that period, I was extremely critical and demanding of myself. The lack of acceptance for my own imperfections led me to gradually abandon art. Professional life and family completely absorbed me, and I convinced myself that I had no time for creativity.

Paradoxically, it was illness - depression - that became a turning point in my artistic journey. Despite the healing process, I felt that something essential was missing in my life. The breakthrough moment came when I participated in Vedic Art workshops. It was there that I rediscovered the joy of creating, this time free from pressure and rigid rules.

Today, painting serves a therapeutic role in my life - it helps me maintain emotional balance and better understand my feelings, both present and past. For me, it is a form of continued therapy that allows me to express myself in the most authentic way.

Many of your compositions seem to have a strong sense of movement and rhythm, as if the forms are in motion. How important is flow and dynamism in your creative process, and how do you achieve that feeling of movement through the paint and materials you use?

Movement and dynamism in my works appeared intuitively. I think it is an expression of my delight in the freedom of creation after a long period of stagnation - like a child's need for movement and expression. It is directly related to my return to art after a difficult period of depression, when Vedic Art workshops helped me rediscover the joy of spontaneous creation. I achieve the effect of movement by applying layers of paint in different shades. Some elements have deliberately blurred contours, which brings to mind objects seen in motion. This is a completely different approach than in my earlier works, where I focused mainly on precise pencil drawing. This new freedom of creation, expressed through movement and dynamic compositions, symbolizes my own artistic and personal transformation.

Your work is characterized by vivid colours and bold, striking forms. What draws you to these specific colour palettes, and how do you see them reflecting your personal or artistic vision? Do you feel that certain colours evoke particular emotions or messages in your pieces?

The choice of colour is primarily a result of natural curiosity and the desire to discover. Theoretical knowledge of colours is only a starting point for me - the most important thing is experimentation and spontaneous combinations of colours. I am guided by the principle "I don't have to do anything". This allows me to maintain freshness and authenticity in the creative process. Individual colours resonate with me, but it is only their combination that provokes reflection, evokes memories and emotions related to them. Although my paintings have titles, I allow the compositions to speak to everyone in an individual way.

Many of your works evoke a feeling of being in nature, with vibrant colours and compositions that sometimes resemble abstract landscapes or blooming flowers. There’s a sense of movement and light in your pieces that feels reminiscent of the way natural elements interact. Do you draw inspiration from nature - and if not, where do you draw inspiration from?

Nature is an endless source of inspiration, and drawing upon it is a conscious choice. It is a universal language, which is why I decided to use it to describe emotions, creating abstract emotional landscapes.

Your paintings seem to involve a meticulous process, particularly with the intricate forms and patterns that cover the canvas. Could you share what that creative process is like for you? Do you find it to be a therapeutic or meditative experience, or is it more about following a precise plan? Is your process more intuitive and free-flowing, or do you go into each piece with a clear vision of what you want to achieve from the start?

My paintings are created through a process of layering paint and colors, and I'm never sure how many layers there will be in the end. I usually start with a base in an intense red color, which is then covered with green, ochre, and other shades, until I create a background that satisfies me. Then I add more layers in the form of colored spots. Neither the background nor the spots are final and can be painted over or changed at any time. I don't stick to a rigid plan; I have a general idea of what I want to achieve, but during the creative process I open myself to changes in composition and color. In my professional work, I have to maintain constant control and strive for perfection, so in painting I focus on freedom and follow my intuition.

As an emerging artist yourself, what advice would you give to others just starting out? Are there any key lessons from your own journey that you’d like to share, especially when it comes to staying motivated, finding your style, or navigating the ups and downs of the art world?

Sketch and paint every day. Start a journal where you paint or draw something new each day. Let it be a single line, a blot, or two. By experimenting, you will find your style. Have fun with the process. Be kind to yourself and don't judge yourself harshly. Not everything you create will be a work of art that you want to share with the world, but the euphoria you experience during creation will give you energy to act in many areas of your life.

Read the full Interview as beautifully designed spreads in the first Issue of the ArtSloth Magazine (Vol. 1).

To connect with Artist Emilia Gałecka-Kościańska, follow the artist on Instagram.