Featured Artist Carol Bednarski

Artist Carol Bednarski shares a group of landscape and still life paintings that reflect her personal journey of discovery. See more artwork by visiting her website.

 

 

I am an artist living in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. I have always been an artist. From a young age, I was always with pencil in hand, one of those students that lived in the art room in high school. I have no formal artistic training and only painted sporadically over the years when I was raising four children and working internationally. I put my art on a back burner for some years until recently.

 

 

In 2020, I started painting again. Awakened to a burning desire to explore and experiment with art, I sought to let go of preconceived ideas and allow my inner intuition to completely take over.

 

 

I like to start a painting with no intention or plan, laying down colours, shapes and lines—responding in the moment to what I see.

 

 

I keep adding layers and scraping away the paint, always moving quickly with everything loose and bold. I add a lot of texture, which I love. At a certain point I will start to see something take shape. Often a landscape or sometimes a floral image emerges.

 

 

This is when I get excited and start to coax the image up from the canvas. I try not to think too much, and allow it to flow without forcing it. There are times I work from a reference, but I will always start with an abstract to capture the feeling before attempting the image.

 

 

This process is a journey. It’s an emotional one for sure, full of doubt and insecurity but also surprise, joy and delight. My hope is that what I produce will spark some joy and surprise in the viewer as an emotional response.

 

 

Perhaps a deeper truth is that the act of painting has been a personal journey of discovery for me. Art and the journey of creating reflects the journey of life. For me it’s about trust—learning to trust and accept what is, and being fully in each moment, authentic and honest.

 

 

It’s not even about the final result (although it’s lovely when I create something I love). For me, it’s really about the bravery it takes to face a blank canvas, overcome my fear, be me, and just paint. Not because I love to, but because I need to.

 

 

I am a recent member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. My work has been exhibited in many juried shows in the past year and a half. Additionally, I was selected for the 2021 Gold List of Contemporary Artists by Art Marketing Magazine. I was thrilled to see my art published for the first time this past fall. It’s all such a wonderful surprise that my art connects with others and moves them emotionally. What a joy. What a privilege.

 

 

I plan to continue to explore and push myself artistically. No doubt I will be surprised and delighted by the journey.

 

Artist Carol Bednarski invites you to follow her on Instagram and Pinterest.

 

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