ABOUT ME

Painting is just one part of my story.

Hi, I’m Chris—a watercolor artist, teacher, and lifelong creative based in Poland. But when I’m not holding a paintbrush, there’s a good chance I’m stitching, knitting, playing the piano, reading a book, or wondering about ghosts, UFOs, and the many mysteries of the universe.

So, if you’d like to know a little more about the person behind Esperoart, here’s my story.

A FEW RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

🎂 BORN IN 1985

A millennial who remembers a wonderfully analog childhood.

🇵🇱 BASED IN POZNAN

I live in Poznań, Poland, with my partner and our cat, Ptyś, who naturally believes the apartment belongs to him.

👋 WHY CHRIS?

My real name is Krzysztof Kowalski. Chris just saves everyone a pronunciation lesson ;)

🌱 WHY ESPEROART?

Krzysztof Kowalski was too difficult. Chris was too simple. “Espero” means hope in Esperanto—the rest is history.

🎨 SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST

No art school—just curiosity, countless mistakes, and a stubborn refusal to give up.

☕ FUELED BY COFFEE

Probably powered by caffeine and questionable amounts of coffee.

🌿 LOW-DRAMA LIFESTYLE

Less attention to headlines, more attention to real life, nature, and the things right in front of me.

🌈 LIVE AND LET LIVE

Be gay, straight, young, old, white, black, purple, religious, or atheist—I love you. Just don’t hurt other beings.

🏠 HAPPILY INTROVERTED

Quiet at first. Potentially unstoppable once an interesting topic comes up.

📚 BOOK LOVER

Give me a good book, a quiet afternoon, and suddenly I have no other plans.

👻 DRAWN TO THE MYSTERIOUS

Casually fascinated by ghosts, UFOs, the afterlife, paranormal and other perfectly normal dinner-table topics.

🧠 PROFESSIONAL OVERTHINKER

I can turn a five-minute decision into a full-scale research project.

🎓 TWO MASTER'S DEGREES

Years of studying, only to end up with a paintbrush anyway.

🧵 ONE HOBBY IS NEVER ENOUGH

Painting, stitching, knitting, piano, languages… I may have a slight hobby-collecting problem.

😴 SLEEP IS OVERRATED

I wish humans didn’t need to sleep. There are far too many fascinating things to do, and I wake up every morning excited to get started.

Contact: chris@esperoart.com

The Person Behind Esperoart

I’ve always been drawn to creativity. While watercolor eventually became my main artistic passion, I’ve spent my life exploring many different creative worlds. I paint, teach, stitch, knit, play the piano, and constantly find myself curious about learning something new. Apparently, having one hobby was never going to be enough.

I’m naturally a calm and patient person, and rather introverted too. I feel happiest in the comfort of my own home—usually with a creative project nearby (and, quite possibly, a cup of coffee). Perhaps that’s one of the reasons online teaching feels like such a natural fit for me—it allows me to share what I love in a way that feels authentic.

You won’t see me on camera in my tutorials, and that’s intentional. I’ve found that I feel most comfortable keeping the focus on what truly matters—the painting, the process, and the knowledge I’m here to share. What matters most to me is sharing my experience and love for watercolor in a way that helps you feel confident enough to say, “I actually can do this!”

MY JOURNEY

2012 — WHEN IT ALL BEGAN

My watercolor journey began in 2012, when I first tried the medium and immediately fell in love with its magic. What started as curiosity soon became a passion that would quietly grow alongside everything else in my life.

2014 - A DIFFERENT PATH

I graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Rehabilitation from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. At that point, my life was taking me in a direction quite different from the creative path I would eventually choose—but watercolor remained an important part of my life.

2018 — ANOTHER CHAPTER

A few years later, I completed my second Master’s degree in Indonesian-Malaysian Philology. My curiosity for languages, cultures, and learning has always been a big part of who I am, and perhaps that same curiosity is what has led me to explore so many different creative pursuits.

2019 — CHOOSING CREATIVITY

In 2019, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life: I left my 9-to-5 job to pursue my passion and become a full-time watercolor artist. It was the beginning of a completely new chapter—one that eventually led me to discover another passion: teaching.

BEYOND WATERCOLOR

I have a hard time sitting still creatively.

Cross Stitch

Cross stitching is another creative passion of mine. I love creating detailed full-coverage pieces and transforming my own illustrations and watercolor paintings into patterns that others can stitch themselves. I also run a small Etsy shop where I share my patterns. If you’d like to take a look, you can visit it HERE. I also have a YouTube channel: HERE.

Digital Illustration

Alongside traditional painting, I also enjoy exploring the world of digital illustration. I love the freedom it gives me to experiment with new ideas and approaches to creativity. Moving between watercolor and digital art keeps my creative curiosity alive, with each medium bringing something unique to my artistic expression.

Knitting & Crochet

Knitting and crochet are some of my favorite ways to relax and slow down. I love the comforting rhythm of working with yarn and watching something slowly take shape in my hands. From cozy socks and beanies to delicate doilies and blankets, there’s something incredibly satisfying about creating beautiful and useful things by hand.

Piano

Playing the piano is another passion of mine and a wonderful way to relax and express my creativity in a different form. Music allows me to slow down and step away from the everyday for a while. In 2022, I recorded a small performance of “Christmas Is Here” as a holiday surprise for my students, which you can watch here: CLICK.

Tarot & Astrology

Tarot and astrology are two subjects that have fascinated me for many years. I’m drawn to their rich symbolism and the way they can offer new perspectives on ourselves and life’s experiences. Rather than seeing them as ways to predict the future, I enjoy them as tools for reflection, introspection, and exploring the many layers of the human experience.

Publishing & Design

I’m the author of several activity books for both adults and children, which are available on Amazon. To share more details about these projects and some of my other interests, I’ve created a separate website dedicated to my publishing work. If you’d like to learn more, you can explore it here. I also design book covers.

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