Elzbieta Krawecka – Friday Night Guest – Friday, January 7, 2025

( Submitted by Taline Kavoukian)

Elzbieta is a Toronto based landscape painter, born in Krakow and raised in Poland and the Middle East. Elzbieta grew up under the artistic influence of her parents, who were both architects. Upon moving to Canada, she attended the Ontario College of Art and Design, studying advertising and design. She worked in advertising until she transitioned to full time painting.

Elzbieta’s exposure to different cultures and her love of travel and the Canadian landscape in particular is reflected in her oil paintings. She draws inspiration from exploring the vastness of the countryside an the wide open spaces of sky and water. While her subject matter begins with the here and now of her travels, her paintings succeed in drawing upon the viewer’s own memories, and evoking a sense of timelessness and universality.

Elzbieta finds inspiration coast to coast from BC to Newfoundland and up as far as the arctic. She especially enjoys painting clouds. Rather than paint plein air, Elzbieta prefers to take photos and do small sketches which she uses as a reference for larger paintings in the studio. She absorbs the place she is in, and then interprets her references to recreate that feeling in her work.

Elzbieta demonstrated her technique for us. Her process involves painting in layers, with an underpainting (thick application of paint and M. Graham walnut oil galkyd medium with different directional strokes); a second layer with transparent paints and galkyd medium applied throughout the painting and wiped back in some areas; and a third layer with thicker application of high chroma light/dark values to add depth and create dimensionality by letting cooler colours come through in the underpaintings.

Elzbieta answered our questions throughout, and offered us many tips.She mixes her paint colours before she starts painting. She uses a toned panel for her work. She finds a cotton pillow case is excellent for wiping back glazes. She waits about two weeks before varnishing her work with Gamsol. We were all very impressed with Elzbieta’s paintings, and process.

To conclude, we were treated with a short presentation of Elzbieta’s experience on the show Landscape Artist of the Year Canada five years ago. Thank you, Elzbieta, for an exciting and educational presentation!

For more information about her paintings and workshops, visit Elzbieta’s website at https://www.krawecka.com/