Art collages with Olga Szczechowska

On Sunday afternoon I accidentally caught Olga posting Instagram stories of my childhood neighborhood. In the middle of Warsaw's concrete jungle, there is a lesser-known, sacred green area. I used to go there in the summer to stare at beautiful old pine trees and catch a breath of nature in my urban lungs. In her story, Olga visited this area for the first time but she also got mesmerized by one of the oldest backyards of Warsaw. And I bet that soon she will create a Boernerowo inspired painting.

What's the key to creating your minimalist collages?

I'm a painter, illustrator, and sometimes a graphic designer. In my practice, I focus on the relationship between nature and humans, closely observing how we shape nature in our own backyards. By looking at trimmed hedges, decorative plants, and meticulously designed home gardens, I am capturing the eerie nature of our immediate surroundings."

"For several years I have also been creating minimalist collages. The compositions are inspired by landscapes, still life, or are created as a result of experiments with shapes, textures, and colours.

My style is heterogeneous because painting and collages are very different, but they have one thing in common: they soothe. I have heard this term from my audience many times, and I think that it best describes the nature of my work. When I'm tired of painting, I make collages and vice versa. One style is a temporary escape from the other.

I think observation is key. I carefully observe everything that surrounds me, nature, architecture, and objects. All this is reflected in my art. In my works, you do not see a human being, but we can feel the sense of human presence in trimmed hedges or in a mug left on the table."

Check out Olga's Instagram to see her soothing artworks in progress.

Painter + Illustrator

Olga Szczechowska

My name is Olga Szczechowska, and I'm living in Warsaw. Since I was a little child, I've always been drawing and painting a lot. I went to an art high school and studied Painting and Cultural Studies at the University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Torun.