Recently married, Marcin and his wife have moved to the centre of Krakow. The main themes in Marcin's illustrative work are young people in a vibrant metropolis and although he enjoys depicting life in the big city at first hand, he still finds it unsettling to be living in the centre of a city for the first time.The creative process is, for him, founded on two levels. His initial approach is logical, and subsequently personal taste is brought to bear.

"I simply sit down in front of a piece of paper, and after a series of sketches depicting everyday happenings, I reach a certain stage in the process which results in an interesting composition, or perhaps unlocks an answer to a puzzle".

He often manages to find within the margins of the brief his "own world" as he puts it, and when clients allow him a broader scope for creativity, he is naturally appreciative. A recent brief required Marcin to produce a series of horoscope pictures for a Japanese magazine, Frau. This project he found particularly exciting as it allowed him the opportunity of exploring ideas through his illustrations from a much more abstract point of view. Marcin's approach to his work varies depending on which of his international clients he is working for. He is conscious that it is in the work he does for the Polish media it is his own intrinsic nationality that seeps through.

"I am a practical person. On the one hand I love the typical Polish landscape, but I fear that in the West this would be seen as something too pastoral. I want my work to be accessible to various cultures. I don't want to become part of a cultural niche, as it would be far too easy to be submerged by the Polish influence. I feel that I will have time later in my career to accentuate my Polish influences. I do understand the huge cultural differences, and know that certain Polish elements in my previous work have been dismissed as incomprehensible to the audience to which they were directed".

The central figures in Marcin's illustration are more often than not female. "When it comes to drawing women, my American clients have told me that the "girl next door" type which I naturally draw is not really to their liking. They encourage me to draw sex kittens and as a man I am not drawn to that type of woman. This is something that I am teased about. But like all artists I have my own taste. Some elements look good in sketch form but are later dismissed because of the artist's hindsight and the final result will not be visually striking. This is a part of an artist's own taste which begins with personal choice from buying your first pair of shoes, to choosing the colour of your car".

Marcin's acute observation of character captures the essence of a situation. His talent for expressing vitality and the nuance of a personality even extends to his often comical illustration of animals. His love of cats and dogs is obvious in his depiction of them in his work.


Portfolio piece

Cosmopolitan Magazine

His current favourite piece depicts all of the above elements. It is a drawing he did for Cosmopolitan. "The illustration accompanies a text giving advice on how to liven up dead conversation during a date. The conversation is not flowing between the couple in the picture. The woman is asking the man who his favourite comic book character is. This piece evolved for me to become a scene steeped in perfection. Almost in the same way as the film Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn turns life into Art. After a film like that the viewer is left for the next few hours filled with this positive energy".

Marcin feels his artistic potential has yet to be fully realised and is beginning to develop in a new direction. "Primarily, it is very important for me to develop my technique, and to make the technique I use more visible. I would like to start moving away from a smooth surface finish, and start using more brush strokes in my work- long ones, short ones, and splodges. This leaning towards a more painterly style is very important to me: several visible layers of paint to show a more developed technical language. My latest work for Cosmopolitan already encompasses a small amount of this new technique whereas my illustrations for Polish magazines are full of this new development".

Just completed are a series of paintings for Quirk Press, creators of the phenomenally successful Worst Case Scenario Handbooks. Marcin has illustrated a Modern Manners, a subject ideally suited for this witty observer of the angst of life in the metropolis. Trolley-rage in a supermarket, fellow passengers on an aeroplane and the problems of overheard conversations are all subjects presenting rich material to this observant artist


Bad neighbours on an aeroplane Modern Manners / Quirk Press

The most recent project completed is a striking series of portraits. "In this series I wanted to extend my own observations with human beauty. The concept is to portray anonymous people with unique and unconventional looks. I sometimes tire of creating perfect faces and find it a never ending circle". He has a large photo collection of what he refers to as unusual and deeply expressive faces which he collects for his work.

Experimental portraits

"I really like the anonymous person in the crowd. I like to play on the contrast of diverse types of people with the clothes that they wear, such as dressing a rugged-featured man in a flamboyant green jacket, or an older woman in a teenager's outfit. In the portrait series I have emphasised the top part of the clothes and made sure that the outfit stands out through its brightness of colour or the material".

Mesmerised by the visual disparity of different races and nationalities, he enjoys exploring the variety of the human physiognomy in his work. "Of course in London, New York and Paris, you have the privilege of being able to see all these incredible people of different races everyday. When I first went abroad I was amazed at the variety of human beauty". Marcin acknowledges that far from being perfect as a human being, he tries to attain that perfection through his work. "With the new portraits I would like create something truly wonderful. It's actually a secret, which will soon become evident".