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Watercolor Magic with Maja Wrońska

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Maja Wrońska is an architect and freelance illustrator who creates magnificent and vibrant, watercolor illustrations of European architecture. As an architect and an artist, she balances the the elements of drawing and perspective in her work including dramatic and detailed use of line and pastel watercolors. Preferring to paint “once inspiration hits” and enjoying the unbridled feeling the accompanies creating a work with no limits or boundaries she is an inspiration to many choosing to cultivate a creative skill.

Impakter had the opportunity to interview Maja on where she draws her influences, her artistic technique and the challenge creatives face being defined solely by their craft.

Where did it all start? Is there a story behind how you became an artist?

Maja Wronska: I started drawing as soon I could hold a pencil, I was probably around a year old. My mom is an architect, and when she first started, all architectural drawings were made by hand; she had millions of professional drawing tools, which I could use freely. It is because of her that my adventure with drawing started at such a young age.

What attracted you to watercolors and how would you describe your style?

M.W.: For many years I used different drawing techniques, using crayons, markers, pencils, watercolors, oil pastels, acrylics and more. I mostly like to paint and watercolors are my first choice because they are neat, clean and easy to start. In comparison with others, painting with acrylics, for example, is more complicated. It includes preparing the palette, the canvas, cleaning brushes, waiting for paint to dry etc. Painting with watercolors is a much simpler method of art. I am not a patient person so when I want to paint, I want to do it all at once. Watercolor is, therefore, the perfect choice.

watercolor magic Impakter maja wronska

Photo Credit: Maja Wrońska

Yet, painting with watercolors requires a complex technique: a light touch and dexterous control.

 M.W.: Yes, I like the unpredictability of watercolors; once it’s painted, it stays that way. You can’t put a white layer over it and cover it with paint to try again. Of course, you can try to cover it with a dark and thick paint but the painting won’t look as fresh and neat as it would if only painted once.

As soon as inspiration hits I have an urgent need to paint.

Do you have a particular drawing technique?

M.W.: The sketch under the watercolor painting is much more simplistic, I skip a lot of details and add them later by drawing with paint and brush. I just have to keep a good ratio between elements of the drawing and its perspective. It’s usually a simple half an hour sketch to keep the proportions and remembering to paint all parts.

watercolor magic Maja Wrońska

Photo Credit: Maja Wrońska

Some of your paintings are of well-known places in Paris, Spain, and other European countries. We know that writers, for example, don’t necessarily have to visit all countries they write about. How do you work as a painter? Does inspiration come purely from your travels? 

M.W.: When I was younger, I spent a lot of time painting from my imagination. I made up all the places and cities I painted. As an adult, I have visited Italy, Spain, and Greece, but I haven’t seen all the places I have painted. To be honest,  I’m the type of person who loves sunbathing during my holidays.

Related article: “TRANSFORMING ART WITH ALEXA MEADE” 

However, as an architect, I have a good imagination, and it’s easy for me to capture any place to look real in paint. I have a lot of my own photos, but I’ve also collected a huge photo database from my family and friends.
When I don’t have any great photos of a particular place, I search for free photos or buy rights from professional photographers. Sometimes my clients send me their photos or I ask non-professional photographers if I can use their photos to paint from. By using social media to promote my work, a lot of people share photos asking me to paint their cities. I also do a lot of commissions and clients usually want me to paint a particular city, place or building related to their lives, so it’s difficult to paint real places without proper reference.

watercolor magic Maja Wrońska

Photo Credit: Maja Wrońska

That question brings us straight to inspiration; Where do you find your inspiration and is there something in particular you would like to express? 

M.W.: I don’t consider what I want to express when I paint. When I paint for myself I paint what I like, when I like, and that makes me happy. As soon as inspiration hits I have an urgent need to paint. I get it usually after watching some awesome animated movies, like “Kung Fu Panda”, or other visual effects I see in movies. Most of my best works were created this way. When I do a commission, it usually turns out better when the client tells me the subject and leaves me open minded without unnecessary restrictions. If he or she wants to decide how I should paint something  I’m not fully free to show how I feel about the place or the building that is the topic of the work and I’m usually not happy with the result.

watercolor magic Maja Wrońska

Photo Credit: Maja Wrońska

What challenges have your met during your career as an artist and how do you manage them?

M.W.: My biggest challenge is combining working as an architect and painter. I don’t necessarily want to be defined as an artist. I recently passed the final architect exam and obtained the unlimited building design license, so I can say that I am a real architect now. I am a huge fan of creating architectural visualization with digital software.

How do you see the future?

M.W.: I have already started to create drawings with my husband Przemysław Sobiecki for a coloring book that combines designing architecture and drawing. I’ve also recently painted a panorama of New York and it was quite popular on my social media. I’m planning to paint more panoramas because large paintings make me really happy.

Recommended reading: “DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING THE ART WORLD“

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com
All Photo Credits: Maja Wrońska
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About the Author /

Anna Durbanova, a graduate Master student in Management, is passionate about a wide range of topics: photography, art, travel, lifestyles, start-ups, technology,ecological and sustainable design.

Comment(1)

  • Claude Forthomme

    February 3, 2017

    Fascinating talent, it obviously comes easy for her. I love the view of Rome, with St Peter bathed in sunshine on the right, as if lit up by the light of God, and the Tiber river in the foreground, still dark and damp and with a slightly threatening blueish tint on the left…A very sensitive use of color!

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Food, Impact, Uncategorized

The food industry is coming under increasing scrutiny for its environmental impact, from greenhouse gas emissions, to excessive and detrimental land and water usage, to chemical pollution. Given the challenge of feeding a growing world population whilst simultaneously needing to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, clearly we need to look at alternatives to “dinner as usual”. The contribution of livestock to global greenhouse emissions is estimated at between 14.5 – 18%. Fortunately, there are companies who are tackling this challenge head on and looking at how emissions from food production can be reduced. With consumer interest increasing in alternatives to meat and other protein sources, we’ve spoken to the founders of three companies. From the seemingly futuristic to the rediscovery of superfood trees, each company tackles this new drive in consumer interest in different ways.

Solar Foods, Finland

Dr Pasi Vainnika is the CEO and co-founder of Solar Foods. The slogan of the company is “Food out of thin air”. Pasi was formerly in charge of the single largest renewable energy program in Finland. However, when he found out that 20-25% of the emissions come from food, he realized that emissions from this sector needed to be addressed, as well as those in the energy sector. But with the growth in affordable and renewable energy – particularly solar energy– it led him and his team to question the possibility of producing food solely from energy, carbon dioxide, and water. It turns out, the answer is yes. Solein is a unique single cell protein. It is produced using a fully natural fermentation process like that of the production of yeast or lactic acid bacteria. The powder, which is produced from the process, is 50% protein, 5-10% fat and 20-25% carbohydrate. Most likely, the first product to reach the consumer market will be a replacement in existing plant-based foods. For example, using Solein in shakes or as an alternative to dairy in milks, yogurts, and even in breads and pasta. In the future, a lasagna could include the protein in all aspects of the recipe: the sauce, in the pasta sheets, and in the filling. Further into the future, there is also the possibility that it could be used as the basis for cultured meat production.
In the Photo: Solein Can be used in smoothies as a protein alternative. Photo Credit: Shawn Fields - Unsplash
To produce a kilo of the protein powder takes 10 liters of water in comparison to the 2500 liters of water for a kilo of soy or 15,500 liters for a kilo of beef. Electricity is the main raw material, and the plan is to source this from renewable energy sources. Additionally, Solein binds carbon dioxide rather than emitting it, easing pressure on land use. The product is currently going through regulatory checks and testing at the moment, with a plan to launch in 2021. NASA and the Soviet Union space programs had started to investigate in similar protein production for their expeditions in the past, but Solar Foods has brought it down to earth.

Higher Steaks, United Kingdom

Whilst some people are switching to plant-based diets and others have reduced their meat consumption, some others still want to keep meat in their diets but are looking for more environmentally friendly options. This is where lab-based meat comes in. Benjamina Bollag, CEO and co-founder of Higher Steaks, a UK-based company, believes that it is important to provide alternatives to meat with a lower carbon footprint, but that taste as close as possible to the real thing. She believes that the change required in human behavior to cut emissions will not happen fast enough otherwise. This approach is confirmed by research they have conducted. 52% of respondents confirmed that they would switch from conventional meat to the Higher Steaks alternative, with 21% saying they would prefer a plant-based diet. There are different ways of producing lab-based meat. The process that Higher Steaks is developing is based on pluripotent stem cells, which are taken from a small skin patch or blood sample. The meat that is grown is then shaped into products. Currently, Higher Steaks is working primarily on pork products.
In Photo: Higher Steaks will eventually release pork as its first lab-cultured meat. Photo Credit: Yvonne Lee Harijanto - Unsplash
The company has yet to conduct a lifecycle assessment of the lab-grown meat, but given the high levels of environmental impact from meat production, it should be safe to say that Higher Steaks products will be more sustainable. In addition, as Benjamina explains, other advantages include the avoidance of antibiotic use, resulting in a product which is better for the consumer as well. The level of fat can also be adjusted, depending on consumer preference. The company is working to have the first products in shops within 3-5 years.

Barukas, Brazil

Barukas proves that you don’t always to have to look to the future for more sustainable food sources. Sometimes it is about rediscovering and making available a food source which has been around for a long time to a wider audience. The baruzeiro tree, native to Brazil, has been a long-time source of nutrition for people living in the Cerrado, the vast savannah at the heart of Brazil. The tree produces a fruit, which contains the baru nut. It was the nutritional profile of the baru nut that initially attracted Seth Tuckerman, who had formerly been the COO of Beachbody, a fitness business. The nuts are high in protein, fiber, minerals, and are lower in fat than typical nuts. The taste is often described as a cross between peanuts and almonds. In fact, Tuckerman’s immediate thought on tasting them was “low calorie almonds”. Tuckerman’s passion is not only about the positive health benefits, but also about the trees and the mutual benefits for the communities where they grew.
In Photo: Baruzeiro tree. Photo Credit: Barukas
Tuckerman became a co-founder of Barukas Incorporated. They are on a mission to plant 20 million baruzeiro trees – as a start. The trees need little water and – as native trees – they are already ideally suited to the Cerrado conditions. First, Barukas must prove that there is a market for the fruit of the existing trees. As such, the company is encouraging those living in the Cerrado to collect the nuts by guaranteeing to buy them, then creating customer demand for the nuts. Collecting the fruit from existing trees helps to preserve them from being cleared for intensive and invasive agricultural methods such as soy plantations. Likewise, planting new trees helps to reverse the deforestation of Cerrado. A report by the Climate Observatory estimated that the destruction of surface vegetation in the Cerrado released 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2016. This is roughly two-and-half times the annual tailpipe emissions from all cars in Brazil.
In Photo: Closer look at the baruzeiro tree. Photo Credit: Barukas.
From talking with these three pioneers, it is now clearer than ever that we need multiple solutions to address how to sustainably feed a growing population. We need to cut the carbon emissions and reduce other environmental impacts such as water and land use associated with food production. Some of these solutions are a little way off in the future, but others are available now. We are what we eat, but our choices will increasingly determine what kind of future we will live in as well.   EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com.
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