Elizabeth Pulanco/Winonan

Winona State invited Alina Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek, artist and graphic arts professor, to discuss her art exhibit, “Arctic…it’s Magic,” which is currently on display in Watkins Gallery. The artist spoke about her methods and where she got her inspiration for her work.

Originally from Poland, Alina Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek has been honored by the president of Poland and has had artwork in the Vatican Art Collection. She is currently a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk.

While she has been teaching, she has continued to create art. To gather ideas for her art, Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek traveled to the Norwegian tundra. While on her journey, she took pictures of the arctic scenery around her.

“I use the images for inspiration, and I draw from my imagination,” Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek said.

During her lecture, she had the photos that fueled her creativity projected behind her. Photos of endless snow, polar bears walking on glaciers and enormous ice caps were a few examples of her inspiration.

The several pieces in the exhibit showcased the best of the tundra’s majestic atmosphere.

Her artwork portrayed glaciers, icebergs and boats drifting across icy waters showed glimpses of a habitat mostly untouched by man. The contrast between the black ink and the white background drew the viewer in and emphasized details within the artwork.

Another element of the artwork was its visual ambiguity, according to freshman Janet Odeku.

“I loved how we had to use our imaginations to identify what was in the etchings,” Odeku said.

Along with talking about her art, Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek also discussed her work as a graphic art professor in Poland.

She encourages her students to use different techniques along with the traditional ones.

She showed pictures of art projects her students were working on. Many of the students were using a design method called etching, which was what Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek used in her artwork as well.

Etching is done by putting ink on an etched metal plate and then pressing plate against paper to create a picture. She presented several pictures of her students going through the methods. Many attendees, like junior Holly Alabad, were impressed by the labor of the medium.

“The process seemed so intricate and time-consuming,” Alabad said.

Viewers’ impressions of the attention to detail and the intricate shading in the artwork showed the time Jackiewicz-Kaczmarek took while creating her art was time well spent.

The exhibit of her artwork is available for viewing at Watkins Gallery until Feb. 12.

Contact Elizabeth at [email protected]