Experiencing Elka NowickaB次元官网网址檚 paintings in her studio after seeing them online is like laying a hand on a loverB次元官网网址檚 cheek after gazing at a photograph.

The colours have an extra vibrancy, the shadows play across the canvases, but above everything else is the magnificent texture. Sculpted lilies and antique roses stretch their petals, looking as though you could pluck them from the canvas. Her landscapes roll and swell over hills and under clouds. The pieces are unanimously gorgeous, utter beauty in the flowing lines and rich tones, and just so real.

They seem a celebration of creativity, of joyful abandon into a glory of colour and shape, which comes as a surprise to some, according to Elka.

B次元官网网址淲hat surprises people is my paintings are happy paintings,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 happy, but IB次元官网网址檓 a serious Eastern European Polish person. My partner is the optimist. He always says the glass is half full, and I say B次元官网网址榳hat glass?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Though immediately fascinating and wonderfully warm, she admittedly does not come across as ebullient as her paintings. Having grown up in Poland under a powerful Soviet shadow amid deep political and civil unrest, Elka has something about her not often seen in Canadians. A wariness, or a cautiousness, perhaps?

B次元官网网址淚 always grew up knowing IB次元官网网址檇 live through war,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淲e had to stand in line for hours for bread or shoes. I never thought it would change.B次元官网网址�

It was an environment that necessitated practicality in many avenues, so although the Polish government subsidized and supported art and art education (as long as nothing oppositional was expressed against the government), Elka never thought art was a viable career choice.

B次元官网网址淚 never considered myself talented as a kid,B次元官网网址� she says (which is shocking, given the depth of her creativity). B次元官网网址淚 came from a poor family and I was good in physics and math, so I had to pick something practical.B次元官网网址�

She became a civil engineer, but continued to dabble with drawing and painting on furniture or linens. Eventually, the turbulent nature of the country became too threatening, and Elka and her family escaped.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 want to live through it, and I didnB次元官网网址檛 want it for my son,B次元官网网址� she says.

They left Poland in B次元官网网址�89, stayed in Germany for a couple years, then came to Canada, first to Winnipeg, and finally to Victoria in 1992. And it was here she started experimenting with her current process, pulling from her construction experiences.

Elka shows me a selection of smaller, nearly raw pieces, their jagged white streaks on black backgrounds, drying in front of the fireplace in her studio. The raised mixture reminds me of my drywalling days when I worked in renovations, and for good reason. ItB次元官网网址檚 a mixed bag of plaster, drywall mud, pumice, marble dust and modelling paste. ItB次元官网网址檚 strong enough to adhere indefinitely to the canvas, but flexible enough not to crack with the subtle movements of the piece. Glazes and acrylic liquids and gels are then painted over top, sometimes with bits scraped off in between layers to reveal the plaster mixture again.

B次元官网网址淚 put on layers and layers of colours and glazes. I work until I see the light flows the right way, the colours are right. Until it reflects my intended emotions,B次元官网网址� she says, adding, B次元官网网址淭o live in a place which is happy, safe, peaceful B次元官网网址� that comes through in my painting. Being in Canada, no week goes by I donB次元官网网址檛 think how lucky I am.B次元官网网址�

Recently her work has shifted focus to a calmer, more monochromatic palette, evoking a classic feel in her pieces. It could be a result of some recent upheaval. Elka and her partner have gone through two moves and two renovations in the last two years, after selling their Oak Bay home and relocating first to Rockland for a short while, and now to their oceanfront downtown condo.

B次元官网网址淚 usually work as general contractor when I renovate,B次元官网网址� she says as we chat about the design of the new home.

Asked if the renovation and moving chaos is why sheB次元官网网址檚 been gravitating to calmer colours in her work, she laughs outright. B次元官网网址淧robably!B次元官网网址�

As well as her new monochromatic direction, ElkaB次元官网网址檚 also excited for several new avenues: painting on clear plexiglass to experiment with shadow and light, and going back to Europe to source antique and faded linen tablecloths to use as canvases. ItB次元官网网址檚 also a chance to go back and enjoy Poland as a modern and liberated country.

She gets to walk through old shops she frequented with her mother, visit her university, see her sister and old friends.

B次元官网网址淲hen I go back, I love seeing the changes. ItB次元官网网址檚 a sophisticated country,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚t grounds me, and gives me ideas to paint. I need to go there once in a while.B次元官网网址�

Back at home, her studio takes up the bottom floor of their condo, the biggest work space sheB次元官网网址檚 ever had, full of art books, stacked canvases, sealed containers of mud, rows of pigments. A handful of in-progress pieces are scattered around, leaning on the walls. Having just moved in last June, sheB次元官网网址檚 only recently gotten the space to a workable level.

B次元官网网址淚 feel calmer and I can sleep again,B次元官网网址� she says with a bit of a grin. B次元官网网址淚 get stressed if I donB次元官网网址檛 paint for a long time.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淓ven on days IB次元官网网址檓 not painting,B次元官网网址� she adds, B次元官网网址淚 spend an hour or an hour and a half drawing hands or faces or bodies, so that when I go to do that, I donB次元官网网址檛 have to think about it. The practice is very important. At the end of the day, you have to go to your studio and work your butt off.B次元官网网址�

To see some of ElkaB次元官网网址檚 work and for information on upcoming shows, visit .

- Story by Angela Cowan

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