Meet Wioleta Kaminska I Interdisciplinary artist & Educator Kaminska | Interdisciplinary artist & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Wioleta Kaminska I Interdisciplinary artist & Educator Kaminska and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Wioleta, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I can’t help but think of two artist residencies in Iceland that I was selected for and was supposed to participate in in Summer 2020. One in June in Reykjavík and one in July in Akureyri. Unfortunately, I couldn’t participate in these residencies due to Covid-19, but hopefully, I will be able to complete them this coming summer. I was very disappointed in 2020 when I could not go to Iceland, do my research and work on new projects. I was also disappointed that I missed an opportunity not only to explore a new territory, but also to connect with a creative community. I decided that instead of feeling sorry for myself and giving up on the idea on working on new projects and expanding my creative network, I could create my own mini artist residency. As a challenge to myself, I decided to explore a medium I had not used for a while: acrylic paints. I began reading and doing my research on Iceland, its wildlife, landscapes and history and then I created visual explorations and interpretations of my findings. The joy, sense of discovery, and fulfillment I got from that mini artist residency left me inspired and motivated to continue with my painting studies. It will be interesting to see how my perception of Iceland, if at all, will change when I have my residencies in both Reykjavík and Akureyri. My mini artist residency wasn’t the only response to my inability to travel to Iceland in 2020. I refused to accept the idea that Covid-19 would prevent me from connecting with fascinating people. “So much already had to be given up due to the virus”, I thought. During this Covid-19 period I have had a strong desire to connect with my family, friends and creative community and from that desire the concept of CrazyBird Podcast was born. I started reaching out to artists and designers whose work I admired and asked them if they would be interested in sharing their creative process with me and my listeners. The response I got was amazing, both from the artists I interviewed and from the growing CrazyBird Podcast listeners. I received emails and Instagram messages from my listeners thanking me for sharing these conversations that inspired hope and motivation to create and keep moving forward in a challenging time. I am glad I didn’t get discouraged and give up my enthusiasm to explore, but instead I found a creative outlet that helped me connect with fellow artists and those seeking inspiration. 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an interdisciplinary artist, designer and educator. My initial focus and education was in applied linguistics. I received my masters degree in applied linguistics from Warsaw University in Poland. And then I studied interdisciplinary design and received my MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. I taught design classes to students from CCA, USF, SFSU and AAU in San Francisco, and in 2019 I moved to Savannah, GA to teach at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I also have my art practice.

Curiosity, passion for knowledge and exploration are the foundation of my artistic endeavors.

These are the same qualities I am trying to instill in my students. There is this constant need I have to make sense of and understand the world that I live in. As an interdisciplinary artist I find it natural to explore different media and maneuver within analog and digital realms simultaneously. My work includes photography, drawings, paintings, motion graphics, film, video and animations. I am particularly interested in visual and auditory exploration of seemingly mundane and uneventful environments. Environments where time seems to be passing slowly and, yet, where steady, constant change takes place. My goal is to invite the audience to slow down, reflect and experience a sense of wonder especially in times where stress, anxiety and the unknown are the norm of our everyday existence.

Each project I take on becomes a response to my observations of my immediate surroundings; current events that create our reality; and my thoughts on my research, readings and everyday conversations. Art for me often becomes a form of expression and a way of processing my emotions. In my artist statement I say, “My meditative landscapes are both a study in perception and stillness and visual reflection on the intersection between nature, technology and culture.”Each of my projects takes a different amount of time to complete, because some ideas unfold at a pretty fast pace and some need more time to develop. I wouldn’t say I ever give up on an idea, but I do have moments in my creative process when I allow myself to take a step back, reflect and decide, or rather accept the realization, that my concept might need a little bit more time; that I need a bit more time to fully embrace it, understand it and, consequently, make the most of it. At this point I let some ideas percolate, which might mean a period of a few weeks or a few years. One of the projects I am working on right now is a short animated story, “It’s a Strange World Out There”, based on an idea I came up with two years ago. At this point, two years later, I feel that I am ready to develop this concept.

Revisiting these earlier ideas is very exciting to me. There are a lot of “aha” moments then. There are moments of rediscovery and also surprise. I think sometimes I need more time to understand myself and gain clarity where I am coming from. I think those moments of reflection and contemplation are crucial in all areas of our lives. They have the power to help us gain better insights into our lives, reevaluate our past actions and decisions and, consequently, impact our future choices.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my friend for a long walk around downtown historic Savannah. Architecture, flowers and different shades of green are breathtaking here. If my friend’s visit took place in spring, we would definitely enjoy the smell of jasmine! A couple laps around Forsyth Park would be a must too, with a stop at Collin’s Quarter for cappuccino. Continuing our explorations of the historic district we would stop for lunch at Gryphon Tea Room and after our tour we would head back to the house and enjoy a glass of wine and a home-cooked meal. An approximate 20 minute drive from Savannah are the beaches of Tybee Island. I would take my friend for an early morning walk on the beach and admire the abundance of variety of birds and possibly catch a glimpse of playful school of dolphins. In the opposite direction is Skidaway Island, beautiful nature preserve and unique coastal environment that includes a wide variety of palm trees, oaks and pine trees, great blue herons, owls, spoonbills, eagles, deer and foxes and many more marsh creatures. The next day we would explore additional barrier islands both natural and historical, which are about an hour and a half drive south of Savannah. First would be Cumberland Island which not only includes the flora and fauna of the coastal region, but also is home to herds of wild horses that are unique to the island. It is also one of the few islands on the coast that is not commercially developed and is preserved in its natural state. Slightly further south is Jekyll Island. It is historically interesting because of the Jekyll Island Club which was a hunting and fishing lodge and a gathering place for wealthy industrialists and politically prominent individuals in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Today anyone is able to stay at this historical club and enjoy hiking and biking on trails around the island. After our island adventures, we would return and rest for a day in Savannah. The next day we would set off for the historic Southern City of Charleston in South Carolina, which is about a two hour drive from Savannah. Charleston is known for its southern architecture, its French quarter and abundance of good food. In addition. there are art galleries, boutiques and antique stores that would be part of the tour. And later in the afternoon we would head back to enjoy the last evening in Savannah.

Website: https://wioletakaminska.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wioletakaminska/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wioleta-kaminska/

Twitter: https://wioletakaminska.com/#painting-mixed-media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wioletakaminska.mediaart

Other: VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/wioletakaminska CrazyBird Podcast: http://crazybirdpodcast.com Medium: https://medium.com/@w_kaminska

Image credit:

1. Wioleta Kaminska
2. Fog. And the Whole World Stops.
3. Inside Silence from collage series
4. It’s a Strange World Out There. New animation project.
5. Photos from the Subtle Cosmos series.
6. To Forget Almost Everything from photo series.
7. Reykjavik. Acrylic on panel.
8. West Fjords #1, Acrylic on panel.
9. Blue Fable. Acrylic on canvas.
10. Only the Sky from the photo series under the same title.
11. Silence. Screenshot from Silence video.
12. Night On The Northern Atlantic. Acrylic on canvas.