I could call it just a hobby or handcraft. Otherwise, with overestimation: artistic activity, art so to say. What suits me the most: creativity or joy of creation. We both share this feeling with Marzena. Each of us has his or her own specialities, in which we express ourselves.
But we have quite different approach to the creativity. I think, that Marzena regards art for the art, as a waste of energy, because she always finds an application for it. She is most happy, when she creates useful objects. That is quite sober and reasonable approach, but I don't share it. May be I'm eccentric but I regard my "creative" activities the same way, like biking. When I ride a bike, when I create something - I enjoy the moment. When I end my journey, I complete my creation, what is left is of secondary importance to me. Not everyone could understand and agree to that. But for me the phase of creating is more important that the creation itself. Trace of the pencil on paper is like trace of the tire in the sand, it just lasts longer.
It would be nice to have just one hobby, devote all spare time to it. We cannot manage like that. We have so many ideas, have to divide time between so many activities...

Marzena's ceramics

I will tell, how it was with ceramics.
There was a period in my life, when we were making tourist trips with Wtek, but not everything we saw on the way, was interesting for me. I remember, once there were old medieval ramparts on our way. Witek wanted to find them. It was not easy, but we managed! Small hill covered with high grass. Witek was happy and motivated me to climb the top. But I resisted. I didn't feel a need. So he went alone. After return he has read some information about that place. Well... Next time, during the other trip, some old ramparts appeared again. I climbed and Witek on the top read information from tourist guide. He did ride and I began to see in this old settlement (it was from bronze age if I recall) in my imagination, local population busy with daily business... Gradually I was more and more willing to climb ramparts on our way and to listen information written in the books. On some spots, after heavy rains, it was possible to find pieces of pottery. Some of them even with decorative ornaments. During one of such visits I took one piece with my hand, I realized, how old could it be and I saw fingerprints on it... Now I love old settlement sites, my imagination works and it is difficult for me to leave such places.

I got interested in pottery. I was looking in the shops for ceramic items and with pleasure touched them. Witek made once surprise for me. Invited me for the trip on the footsteps of remaining in Poland folk potters. We visited such craftsmen. I did buy or was given their products, sometimes raw clay. I saw, how they get clay, prepare it, than form it, dry, decorate and fire... Each step is laborious and time consuming. But also gives a lot of satisfaction.
I decided to try it myself. So I enrolled on the ceramics training course and was happy like child with my small works. Later I was given my own small kiln for firing the clay. Playing with clay is a real adventure, so the experiments with glaze, engobe. But I'm a bit afraid of firing. Perhaps not firing itself but the temperature of process. For Biscuit fire temperature of 850 to 1100 deg Celsius is required, for glaze even higher. Firing takes many hours so Witek takes care of that. But recently it happens very seldom, that we have something for firing. My job and my studies take so much time, that I put my hobby aside. But the time will come, when I will do what I want. I just have to be patient. Or I have to mobilize and to say to myself: you did not forget, you know, how to work with clay!
Now already we will show you some of our works.

• Newspaper holder
• Small basket
• Horses
• Flower
• Christmas tree
• Pan
• Sunflower
• Plate
• Bowls

Witek's ceramics

Nobody remembers any more, how exactly it all began, but it was for sure Marzenas's idea. One day she came back home with plenty of raw clay and asked me to create a table clock in form of the clock tower, kind of Big Ben. I never managed to finish it. It cracked when drying and disintegrated... Sometime later we filled our home with classical handmade pottery. It was coming from different, sometimes well known workshops. Nicely decorated, like from Bolimów, from famous workshop of Necel family in Chmielno. Bit stylish, like from Kuźma shop in Giżycko. More simple, crude from Czarna Kościelna, Urzędów, Medynia Głogowska, and I don't know from where else.
Perhaps there was a kind of virus hidden in this pottery. Marzena was first to catch "it". She found the place, where she could form, glaze and fire her creations. Vases, candle lamps, bijou, that is, what turns her on. At last I could not resist and started to form something back home. I'm not interested in useful objects so I started with tiny figurines.
Sadly, recently number of our works does not increase. It is not only lack of time to blame. Problem lies in the nature of clay. Creating even the smallest thing, one has to prepare the bench, get dirty himself and spoil surrounding. Not to mention firing, finishing, glazing. All troublesome, time consuming. No surprise, that ideas easier to execute will win. Pity, because nothing compares to the emotions associated with opening the kiln: what will come out?

• Zis trucks
• Tatra trucks
• Sitting women
• Hero's corps
• St John from Nepomouc
• Shelter for St John from Nepomouc
• Saint from Wilanow

Mosaics

Working on mosaic may be for the unskilled amateur very painstaking and time consuming, but it can give satisfaction and final result is the reward for all efforts. We have so ambitious plans for the future in this technique. Perhaps, too ambitious, unfortunately. Therefore execution of our projects is irritably delayed. Apart from too complex design, we selected too laborious technology. Until recently we had nothing to be proud of in the area of completed works. But it just changed for better and we managed to complete first usable project. Work on the next one will commence soon.

• Small table with motifs from New Zealand.

Drawing

Like every child, I was drawing with passion, naive, out of shape sketches. Later I stopped that, but incidentally I was drawing even in my college years. May be because I was feed-up with excess of technical drawings during my studies, but about that time I got allergy for pencil. Anyhow, for many, many years I didn't touch it. Quite recently, perhaps in autumn 2005, I started to draw again. And I continue, but occasionally, till today. For reason, I explain later on, I mainly draw nudes. From time to time something else.

• Tatra truck
• Skoda truck
• Jelcz bus nicknamed "cucumber"
• Old type of Mercedes truck
• Old type of DAF truck
• Portrait 1
• Portrait 2
• Portrait 3
• Portrait 4
• Nude 1
• Nude 2
• Nude 3
• Nude 4
• Nude 5
• Nude 6
• Nude 7
• Gallery of new drawings 1

Pastel

Pastel was not totally new technique for me, but recently I rediscovered it. Another our affaire began, when I was assigned with the task to execute someone's vision. I had to make copy, or rather free interpretation of two Edouard Manet's paintings. Pastel technique seemed to be the easiest choice. Result must have been satisfactory, because I received more "orders", this time for the views of particular buildings. I used remaining capacity to produce few nudes. And our affair continues, however, we cannot meet regularly. Most of the time I'm missing my pastels only, not having chance to actually paint, so I think I will not get tired of them for long time.

• Edouard Manet "Au cafe" and "Coin de cafe-concert"
• Tryptic: Łańcut, Rzeszów, Warszawa
• Pastel nude 1
• Pastel nude 2
• Pastel nude 3
• Pastel nude 4
• "Wymoczek" - weak male nude
• Pastel nude 5
• Pastel nude 6
• Holly Family from Far East
• Gallery of new pastels 1
• Charcoal drawings 1

Writing

I wouldn't be so foolish to call it literature. It just happen sometimes, that we write. There are mostly diaries from the voyages, but not only that. Sometimes one makes trip, and nothing remains, even memories. It is good, if there are some pictures. When one notes something, there is always something left, a trace. We have a lot of such materials. Rubbish, we can share with the others.

Nudes

I draw with the pencil mainly nudes. Nudes are favourite theme of my pastels. It happen to me also to create terracotta figurines of nude woman. I think, it deserves some words of explanation. Why nudes? Let me think... I had once a mate at studies, who was playing chess very well. If I remember, he was winning some titles as a boy. I recall one conversation with him. I asked him: "Don't you think, that this game is outdated, too limited in present form, aren't you bored of chess?" I my opinion chessboard had to be enlarged, more figures, more movements allowed. And he replied, that complexity and possibility of chess in their classical form is quite sufficient for him. Nudes are for me, like a kind of chess. Playing set and principles of the game always the same, number of combinations is endless. Each match different. When I discovered nudes for myself, they became ideal theme. I can study it for the rest of my life, deepen my knowledge, skills, and still face unknown. By nature I'm lazy, so why should I make effort looking for other subjects, when this one is unlimited.

Taking snap shoots

It is as follows. That's true, that we belong to enormous crowd of holidaymakers, trying to take picture with Serene from Copenhagen or Mouse Tower of Kruszwica (Poles know what is it). It's true, that once we have place on our picture it is like "checked off". We take shoots on many everyday- and special occasions. Such activity is not very creative because the results are common pictures, seldom photography.... But, but. Firstly: Marzena has ambition to learn photography seriously and just numerous obligations do not allow her so far. Secondly: our mayor goal is to record unique moments, saving small pieces of the present before they disappear in the past. Whatever one can think about the quality of our pictures, with them I could illustrate my tales. Least not last: I can do on my web side whatever I want and I'm just going to post here more of my pictures. That will be undoubtedly act of creativity. More in my galleries... I invite and apologize - introductions will be in Polish only.

• Detalography
• Continuation
• CEMENT PLANT! Casual, extraordinary.

Jewellery

Jewellery - sounds very proudly! But my new speciality concerns just decorations made of copper, which is very easy to work with, material. I also recently play with some success with other metal waste. All, as usuall, began by accident. Chile is famous for copper, so on the way back from Rapa-Nui Marzena purchased in Santiago copper earrings. Soon after return, she lost one of them, causing real sadness. What could I do? "That is nothing - I said - I will fabricate such earring for you". It was easy to say and was easy to make. But finding piece of right material turned out to be the biggest difficulty. There was no other way, but to buy in the specialized shop the smallest possible, 1 meter long cupper sheet, quite expensive. Economically, totally not viable investment, just for one earring. That is why, from time to time, new earrings, pendants, even bracklets are created. Despite basic material and lack of proper bench, results are satisfactory enough, so Marzena is not afraid to wear my jewellery. And for me, spending few evenings working on it, is cheaper option, that buying gold and diamonds.

• Some of my first works.