About Me

Hello, I’m Ewa Kociuba. I’m a painter and a certified art conservator with a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow (ASP Krakow). I earned my diploma with distinction from the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Artworks at the same university. Prior to that, I studied at the Faculty of Artistic Education in Sanok, focusing on Visual Arts.

I hail from Sanok, a town in the Subcarpathian region where cultures, languages, and beliefs continuously intertwine. In this inspiring melting pot, I encountered the sacred and the profane, sacred, modern, and folk art. From my childhood, I recall visits to open-air museums, Sundays at the church, choral singing, the colors of an iconostasis, and the scent of incense. These are the experiences that shaped my sensitivity and artistic preferences.

Sanok wasn’t just a place that began shaping me as an artist. It’s where I received my first serious and professional artistic education. Thanks to incredible teachers like Anna Pilszak, Marek Olszyński, Antoni Nikiel, Krzysztof Woźniak, and Marlena Makiel Hędrzak, I learned to think independently, to form my own perception of art, and to understand its broad and vibrant stream. It’s where I defined how I perceive and experience art and how it serves me.

Education isn’t just about theory, but also about engaging with great art and the artists who create it. Internships at the Sanok Museum, the Zdzisław Beksiński Gallery, my first exhibitions, and the unique and perhaps unparalleled creative environment of the Subcarpathian region left indelible memories and impressions. They continue to be a source of inspiration from which I draw.

After Sanok, it was time for Krakow, a city I still call home. My six years of studies weren’t an easy stroll through the Planty park; they were a fascinating adventure, hard work, and a continuous journey of artistic self-development. Imagine this: every semester, I delved into the secrets of a different technique in separate classes on the history of painting technology and techniques, not to mention the history of art and other professional subjects!

I learned that each painting technique is like a human being – each ages differently, with its unique characteristic damages. Through my own and others’ mistakes, I learned how to avoid the most common technological errors. I know how cracks, craquelure, blistering, patina, blinding, detachment, and others come into being. This knowledge aids me in developing my own aging techniques and also helps me avoid mistakes.

You can read more about painting and art techniques on my BLOG.