Our Autumn Open Call Memento Vivere runs October 10th to 18th, featuring twenty-three artists showcasing a range of styles and mediums.

Lukasz Lesnik is a Polish artist based in Scotland that mainly works in painting and sculpture. He is a recent graduate of Contemporary Art Practice from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD). Through those mediums, Lesnik explores themes of gender, homosexuality, and intimate emotion. Lesnik’s practice is ever-changing but the common link to all his artworks is the lived experience of the artist. His work usually depicts moments in his life and emotions felt at the moment of creation. Lesnik’s work typically features unrealistic skin tones or monochrome effects due to the artist’s colour-blindness. The artist’s goal is to create works that people can relate to and interpret individually.

Hi Lukasz! Tell us how your artistic journey started?
I was always a creative child but the journey I have taken is mainly due to the encouragement from my mum. She has a lot of creativity herself, however, growing up at a time when Poland was under Russian occupation and coming from an impoverished family, she was actively discouraged from pursuing anything creative. Maybe that’s the reason she was happy for me to follow this dream. From a young age I was drawing and painting, so I don’t think there is an exact year or situation that started my artistic journey. However, a pivotal moment was joining Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.

Can you walk us through your creative process? 
I would describe my creative process as spontaneous. I turn to art as a method of therapy and often my art reflects my feelings, so I generally don’t plan out every single detail, I tend to go with the flow. Sometimes I have a motif that directs a series of paintings, but it usually appears after completing a painting. 

What emotions or reactions do you hope viewers experience when they see your artwork? 
I have always believed that the viewer doesn’t need to see what I see in the artwork. Sometimes I don’t even know what the artwork is about, so I enjoy hearing feedback and interpretations about it.

How do you overcome creative blocks? 
I overcome creative blocks by simply creating more art. I would spend the whole day painting small studies that do not convey much meaning, and I would keep my mind open to any ideas. If I’m really frustrated, I would take some time off to recharge. 

Are there specific advantages or challenges associated with working in your chosen mediums? Have you experimented with other mediums or techniques?
Oil paints can be a double-edged sword. When you’re having a good day, they can create the most beautiful blends of colors and add depth to the painting that I couldn’t achieve with any other medium. However, when it’s a bad day everything can go wrong. The colors can mix to the point of becoming muddy and the drying time can cause all sorts of issues that are generally harder to fix than with acrylic paints. In the past I mainly used acrylic and watercolour paints, but I became frustrated with the quick drying time of acrylic paints and the unpredictability of watercolour paints.

How do you know when a piece is complete?
I tend to finish my paintings in one sitting as from experience paintings can become overworked. On the rare occasion that I do work on a painting for more than one day I work on it to the point between being happy and frustrated enough to not touch it again. I frequently come back to a painting after a few weeks to see if I still think it’s a good piece, if it’s not I make the decision to either paint over it or try to fix it which often ends in painting over it anyway.

Find out more about Lukasz and his work on Instagram. Memento Vivere runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 18th October.