PeterZigga

Piotr Zygmunt. Born April, 29th in Katowice, Poland. I create paintings, drawings and graphic art. I'm interested in everything that is connected with the broad term of Art, especially with surrealism, fantasy, bizarre, grotesque and visionary art. My favourite techniques are ink drawing, traditional printmaking and pastel painting. Everything I create is supported by my imagination.

For me, drawing with ink is a kind of verification of the skills, it requires a lot of practice. Once the ink touches the paper, it can't be reversed. Every mark must be intended and meaningful. I have been using this technique for years, enjoying its infinite spectrum of possibilities. I create my own worlds, forms and spaces using lines. Linocut, in my opinion, is a very demanding and work consuming technique. It requires great dexterity and persistence from the artist but at the same time it allows to achieve amazing effects. Pastel painting is mainly associated with delicacy but it is a technique of contrasts. It allows to reach both the lightest and the strongest effects of its graphic execution. It enables tenderness, subtlety or the firm graphic tone. The way of using the broad colour range is decided by the executor of the idea. Pastel is an intermediate result of combining both drawing and painting techniques. In the hands of the creator it is difficult and at the same time remarkably unique tool.

I create since I was three, for as long as I can remember. I was drawing with everything that was within reach of my hands, cheap wax crayons, markers, pens, pencils, inks; things that were available to me. Being able to create was a true treasure for me. It was also a great joy and it still is. Being a young boy I preferred drawing rather than playing or riding bikes with children of my age. Of course I did go out to have fun with others but the time spent with my favourite coloured pencils and a piece of paper was the peak moment of my day. Since I was a kid I loved Walt Disney's movies, comic books, art magazines, both for children and adults. Together with my twin brother (also an artist) we used to read them until knowing every page by heart. Those different worlds used to inspire and blend with each other. And that how it is to this day. What fascinates me the most in art is its diversity and individuality in artist's regards of what can be communicated. For me it doesn't matter when, on what or with what tools a great work of art can be created. Should it be done on the best canvas with paints of the highest quality (perhaps yes, for preserving the best durability) or may it be done on a yellowed and aged piece of paper. It is not of great importance to me. What really counts is how the artist uses the tools. The same is with the theme of the artwork and it's genre or trend. I can be mesmerized by the abstract painting from 20th century as well as by the work of the master of old days. Only the combination of; you would say opposite; worlds like figurativeness and abstraction brings me the complete impulse to create. In my opinion, the infinite source of the inspiration rests in extracting from former and contemporary art, from what is old and what is new. Every artist has some preferences, favourite motives and themes to return to. It is normal and lets us artists be ourselves as creators. What is fascinating about art is that under its concept there is the countless number of works different in manner but equal in greatness. This juxtaposition is the main engine that drives my searches and actions. In my artworks (drawings, prints or paintings) I try to bind traditional art experiences with abstraction, modernity and boundless vision. I put together grotesque and peculiarity, fantasy and surrealism. Like in a cauldron I can mix what is interesting for me; serious and amusing themes, dark strokes with gentleness and subtlety, even sketchiness. For me, a genuine work of art is the one that nestles in the mind of a viewer and stays there for further recollections. The viewer doesn't need to know precisely what the author had in mind but it's important for the creation to affect the observer's senses. In my opinion, artistic value of the work is more important than its ideology. Visual artist is for me the one who acts with image, not words. Everything expressed verbally about the artwork is so to say an addition and it shouldn't be more important than the piece itself. Sometimes, artists can talk about their actions for hours but what counts the most is the tangible creation that appeals to and influences the viewer. Despite the great number of all those masterpieces that have been created so far, new ideas are still brought to life. As contemporary creators we can just try to enrich the world of art with particles of our imagination and with our visions.

Towers, megaliths, cathedrals, clouds, butterflies, skulls, characters, curiosities, known and recognizable motifs combined with bizarre, imaginary forms. In my works they have been appearing for a long time, over and over again. Why exactly those themes? Those forms interest me the most, they are the ones that I want to create. I sense the integrity as a creator when I choose these subject matters. Then I am honest not only to myself but also to the viewers. It is also because of my fascination with certain elements found in nature I'm trying to recreate them in my own way, giving them the new meaning. By combining what is recognizable and unnamed, in a peculiar and specific manner I want to create my own, autonomous world.

Things I write are my personal thoughts on the works I've created so far. I was always curious how the viewers perceive my artworks and yet, at the same time, I've tried not to focus on it too much. Sometimes, it's difficult for the artist to describe the work, due to the lack of appropriate words or due to the fear of being misunderstood. What is more, with time the artist may change his or her points of view, so the past statements about his or her own art may not be truly valid. Then it's not the quality of the work that decreases but the increase of the artist's consciousness. For me, the most important aspect was to create the best artwork that I can make, weaved with my passion, my skills, intentions and favourite supplies. I design motives and themes that appear in my imagination but without the full knowledge of their meaning, purpose and final turnout. I'm always curious what creation I will come up with. I leave the reception of my art to the viewers. My greatest intention and wish was and still is to create a real masterpiece. The process of creation, each step from the first to last one is equally important to me. I think that a true piece of art is made when the artist takes care of every part of it. To reach that goal, what matters is the enthusiasm, passion and vocation of being an artist and creating art no matter what.

Quite a lot of my works were created on old paper bases. Most of the drawings made with ink and pen were created on old type of glossy paper (covered with mineral pigment and glue) from the 70's and 80's. A part of my acrylic paintings was done on old fibreboards. This makes a natural effect of the old, timeworn "patina" which is very interesting for me. Artworks made with soft pastel technique were created entirely on new paper bases. My favourite artistic supplies and accessories come from various sources, some of them are the top priced ones and some of them are very affordable. I use what I feel will give me the best results in a particular step of creating.