“I love when buying my art makes people happier,” says Linocut artist Marta Wakula-Mac.
Marta Wakula-Mac is a Polish Linocut artist and a printmaking teacher in Pracownia Graficzna NCK in Nowohuckie Centrum Kultury, Kraków. As a kid, Marta had always been especially creative as she found joy in creating something out of anything she could lay hands on.
Her journey into professional art started from doodling and painting from when she was young, then she took it a notch further by applying to study art at Krakow’s art college.
At Krakow college of art, she learned the art of drawing, painting, sculpture, and, finally, printmaking, then she graduated with a Diploma in Relief Printmaking and a Masters Degree in Art Education.
A Trip Into The World Of A Linocut Artist
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Artistry process
“It is a very laborious process that requires some preparation and planning,” Marta says.
Here, Marta explains how laborious linocut art could be from how it compels one to slow down to the physical process of carving a block, which she considers therapeutic.
Journey to becoming a linocut printmaker
“I have always been an introvert and played by myself a lot as a child,” Marta says. “I was always making something out of nothing, doodling, drawing, and so on. My granny used to call me ‘my little artist’ and it stuck to me. I went to high school not thinking about art at all but still drawing and painting for fun.”
After college, Marta traveled to Ireland where she came across the beautiful Graphic Studio Gallery in Dublin. There she became a member of the Graphic Studio, a collective workshop for professional printmakers.
{ Misty Landscapes | Large-Scale, One-of-a-Kind Monotype Prints }
During her time there, she developed some technical knowledge including intaglio techniques like carborundum, etching, spit bite and sugarlift aquatint.
Ireland wasn’t only a learning process for her as she was also exhibiting in galleries, taking part in printmaking projects, and teaching linocut printing at the Trinity art workshop in Dublin.
Inspirations and motivations
Marta mentions how she’s always been drawn to the works of German Expressionists, however, she enjoys the naivety behind the art made by children because of the freedom and freshness they express.
Majorly, her inspirations are drawn from imagination and memories.
Marta is motivated by the happiness people derive from her works. In her words, she says, “for instance my series of frolicking ladies in red dresses, nine linocuts titled ‘Dancers’; they bring joy and positive energy to people’s houses. I get so much beautiful feedback, it is very motivating.”
Works in collections
Several of her works can be found in collections in National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Biblioteka Jagiellońska w Krakowie, Muzeum Archidiecezjalne in Poznan, Poland; Civic Museum of Cremona, Italy, AIB Bank, TASCQ Dublin, OPW Dublin, Umeå Kommun, Sweden, ZPAP OK, and private collections.
Style of art
The Polish Linocut Artist lean towards nude themes as well as landscape and botanical themes inspired by nature.
To see Marta’s latest prints, visit Saatchi Art >
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What do you think?