|
Agata Lelek
was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1960. She attended WARSAW’S SCHOOL OF VISUAL
ART for five years where she earned her Diploma. She was taught
traditional methods of drawing and composition that is obvious in her art
today.
She arrived in Australia in
1982, here she met her husband and a couple of years later started a
family. She has continued to paint all through the years whilst raising
her two children and remained very passionate about her art. Her main
influences then were Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Andrew Wyeth.
It has not been until recent
years however that she begun to exhibit. Her previously traditional style
of portraiture evolved into a more provocative expression of herself and
earned her recognition as an outstanding talent.
Her art emerges from the
need to express hidden strong human passions. Stripping an object of
colour bares the underlying emotion and this is what Agata Lelek
endeavours to achieve with her bold strokes and innovative use of texture
and mediums to reach the desired effect. Her later works were greatly
influenced by the art of Mark Demsteader and Jenny Valmadre.
Agata’s first passion is
portraiture and figurative art, but she is by no means limited to that
alone, likewise her preferred medium is pastel, but she is equally at ease
with oil, watercolour or other mediums.
Her ability to portray with
striking resemblance and capturing personality and ambience of her models
has placed her in demand for commissioned work, as a tutor and workshop
demonstrator.
Agata teaches pastel and
oil painting MMAG, pastel and acrylic in GECAG, portrait painting at
BAS and privately at her home studio. She also gives monthly short
workshops in Wonthaggi.
She’s won many awards,
among them “Best pastel” three times and "Best other media" during WAS’s
Annual Art Shows, “Best Use Of Colour” and “The Best Non-Traditional
Work” at the last PSV Art Show and many highly commended at other art
shows.
Agata takes commissions
for portraits to be done both from sitting and/or photographs in
charcoal, pastel, oil and watercolour. The prices start at $600.
|