You can find me here:
Contact:
E-mail: chris@esperoart.com
Hi! My name is Krzysztof Kowalski (or simply Chris). I’m a watercolor artist and online watercolor teacher based in Poznan, Poland. My educational background is not connected with art. I graduated in Social Readaptation and Indonesian-Malaysian Philology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. However, my curious disposition makes me love to discover new things. So when I came across watercolors, they quickly became my great passion.
I have been painting and drawing since childhood. It was always my hobby which I did in my free time. Before I discovered watercolors in 2012, I painted with oils, drew with pastels (not much), and graphite pencils (even less). I specialize in painting flowers, birds, and butterflies in a realistic style. I am amazed by the diversity and richness of their shapes and colors, but I don’t shun other themes. Nature is the main source of my inspiration.
Nowadays, we surround ourselves with walls, live in concrete cities, and forget about our connection with nature. Through my paintings, I want others to spend a moment contemplating the beauty of nature.
I love to share my experience with others. That’s why I’ve been doing this for many years in the online world. Eventually, I decided to be a full-time artist in January 2019 when I launched my Online Watercolor School. I gathered all the information in one place to try to help others understand the medium.
I hope that my art will inspire you to reach for watercolors. It is said that painting with watercolors can be difficult. It is a challenging medium to master, mainly because it can be unforgiving and unpredictable. But I believe that anyone can learn everything step-by-step. You just have to try!
WHAT DOES ESPEROART MEAN?
When I started painting with watercolors in 2012, someone asked me to upload a video on YouTube and show how I’m painting. I didn’t have a YT channel at that time, and I had no idea how to record videos. First, I had to give a name to my channel. I knew that my real name was too difficult, so I had to come up with something else. I was learning the Esperanto language then, and one of my favorite words was “espero”, which means “hope”. Because “espero” was taken, I just added “art” and thought it was nice. I translated this to myself as art that gives hope, brings light and color to our lives – hence esperoart. You can see the very first watercolor video I have ever made here: CLICK.
MY APPROACH TO ART AND MY STYLE
My aim has never been to win any competitions and be the best in the world in painting. Honestly, I’m not too fond of competitions of any kind. That’s why you can’t find me as a gold winner anywhere. Sometimes I submit my works to smaller competitions because I feel pressure. “He’s teaching watercolors, but what are his achievements?” – people ask. I paint for pleasure, to make my and others’ lives beautiful, not to win anything or to prove anything. I like to spend time painting without hurry, without pressure. I just like to enjoy the process, and if someone likes my paintings, that’s wonderful, and that’s a bonus.
Painting is like meditation. It’s a slow process of putting one brush stroke after another, immersing yourself into the wonderful world of watercolor. I find it very relaxing when I slowly build my paintings with layers, working section by section and trying to depict my subject in a realistic style. The vibrant colors and transparent properties of watercolor paints allow me to capture the essence of my subjects in a unique way. Working with this medium is challenging but also very exciting and rewarding.
I paint mainly in a realistic style, but I leave some room for my interpretations. I like when a painting looks real, but you can recognize it’s a painting. Some consider my paintings hyperrealistic, but I don’t think they are. Hyperrealism has never been my goal, although I love details.
Inspiration is everywhere: a small bird on a thorn twig, a ray of light illuminating the petals from the back, repeated patterns of batik fabrics, or just a beautiful shape of a leaf with a dewdrop that will fall off in a moment. Little bits of reality that we pass by indifferently can have tremendous power – they remind us that we are just pollen in this universe. I want to stop for a moment, capture those bits and contemplate them for a little longer.
OTHER INTERESTS
I’ve always been interested in MANY things. I’m a very open-minded person who wants to cherish every second of this life. I think that some life experiences have made me try to do what I enjoy in life. I spend little time on things that annoy me, disturb me, do not develop myself, and are of little value in my opinion (like online hate, jealousy, rat race, or gossip – yuk!). I am very curious! Curious about everything. Here are a few more things that I like apart from watercolor painting.
PUBLISHING
I’m the author of several activity books for adults and kids. My books are available on Amazon. I have created a separate website where you can find more information if you are interested: CLICK.
PIANO
I love playing the piano as much as I love painting. If I could, I would play the piano 24/7. In my tutorials, you can hear a lot of piano music. These are not my own compositions YET, but I’m working on them.
ASTROLOGY
I’m passionate about the unknown. I’ve always been interested in astrology, numerology, Tarot, ghost stories, esoteric traditions, etc. I’m also the author of a well-known Polish site about Lenormand cards.
DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
I am deeply passionate about both traditional art and digital illustration, as they both play crucial roles in my ongoing exploration and expression of my artistic abilities.
CROCHET
Yes! I do this. It’s wonderful and relaxing. I enjoy it very much. Doilies, blankets, tablecloths are my favorite. I love giving my works away and seeing a smile on people’s faces.
LANGUAGES
I’m not a polyglot, but I really enjoy learning languages. I studied Indonesian and Malaysian at university; I’ve been learning English all the time. I’m learning Italian currently. I used to learn Chinese, Esperanto, Latin, and Greek. Polish is my native language.
MY ACHIEVEMENTS
- 2021, September – My painting “Wayang Golek” won an Honorable Mention Award in “Patterns” Online Art Competition (CLICK)
- 2021, June – finalist in The 2nd International Masters of Watercolour Youth Alliance contest and exhibition (CLICK).
- 2020, July – I was interviewed by Clare McNamara for Jackson’s Art Blog (CLICK).
- 2020, April – My painting “Dripping Fragrance” has been shortlisted for the Jackson’s Painting Prize 2020 (CLICK).
- 2019, July – Finalist in an Online Art Competition “Nature” organized by Art Room Gallery.
- 2019, July – My painting “Let Me Brighten Your Day” won a Special Merit Award in “Primary Colors” Online Art Competition (CLICK).
- 2019, July – My painting “The Breath of Spring” won an Honorable Mention Award in “Primary Colors” Online Art Competition (CLICK).
- 2019, March – In the 29th issue of “Artysta i Sztuka” (Artist and Art) magazine an interview with me and an article about my art was published. My painting “Rhythm of Nature” is on the cover.
- 2019, February – I became an associate member of International Watercolor Society (IWS).
- 2019, January – I launched my Online Watercolor School.
- 2018, September – I graduated in Indonesian-Malaysian Philology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (second Master’s Degree).
- 2018, June – My painting “Spiky Beauty” won ‘Honorable Mention’ Award in Global Association of Watercolor Artists International Watercolor Online Contest.
- 2017, May – I was interviewed by Charlie O’Shields for Doodlewash® (CLICK).
- 2017, March – My painting “Rhythm of Nature” won Best in Show award in watercolor category in an online contest at DeviantArt.com.
- 2016, December – I completed NHI101x: Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration 101 course offered by NewcastleX, an online learning initiative of The University of Newcastle, Australia through edX.
- 2016, May – My botanical paintings referring to Maria Sibylla Merian’s artwork were exhibited during the Museums at Night 2016 in the Gdansk Library, an auxiliary scientific unit of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Gdańsk.
- 2014, September – I graduated in Social Rehabilitation from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (first Master’s Degree).
- 2013, August – I received a Certificate of Appreciation for an active presence, for the high level of knowledge in the subject of artistic painting, including active contribution to the development of watercolor painting from the administration of Tessart Forum, where I actively promoted watercolor painting.
- 2012, June – I started painting with watercolors.
- 1985, June – I was born in Kętrzyn, Poland.
