Veronicka Nowickowa

Year of birth: 2002.
Your education: bachelor’s degree, graphic Design in Multimedia.
Describe your art in three words: contrasting, free, realistic.
Your discipline: portraits in various techniques, and recently also animated videos.
Instagram

Your artistic journey started at a very young age. How did your early exposure to both music and visual arts shape your creative expression?

The vision of colors, shades, and images was formed back then. During that time, my favorite artists, performers, and styles in music and visual arts were defined. All of this, combined, created a worldview that stays with me to this day.

Veronicka Nowickowa | Zheka | 2022

Your group portrait ‘In the Village Club’ was recognized early in your career. How did that recognition influence your future work and development as an artist?

It became one of the pivotal events after which I firmly decided that I wanted to pursue this path. For me, it was like the signal “On your mark! Get set! Go!” It meant I needed to keep creating works and participating in various projects. It also played a role in my choice of university.

You have a deep connection with both music and visual arts. How do these two disciplines influence each other in your creative process?

Music often helps in forming images. The sound creates the atmosphere and mood suitable for the work. Even in childhood, I wanted to create animated music videos. Now, having completed my studies at university, I can not only use music as a source of inspiration for static works but also create something dynamic.

Veronicka Nowickowa | Tony Hawk | 2022

Your use of dry pastels seems central to your work. What is it about this medium that draws you to it, and how do you use it to convey emotions and energy in your portraits?

What attracts me to dry pastels is that you literally shape images with your fingers, like a sculptor. It’s very flexible and dynamic. With dry pastels, a certain haze is created at the junction of shades, which helps to give the image the character of the model.

You’ve experimented with different materials and techniques throughout your career. Can you share some of the most unexpected discoveries you’ve made in this experimentation?

At some point, it was a discovery for me to create a work with oil paint, but not by painting, rather by drawing with a dry brush. No solvent or anything else added—just a dry brush and a tube of paint. It was also interesting to dilute oil pastels with a solvent. Right now, I’m working on a piece using three skateboards. They are joined into one canvas and primed. Because of the specific shape, it was initially unusual.

Veronicka Nowickowa | Friends | 2023

Portraits seem to be a significant part of your work. What do you believe makes a portrait powerful and capable of conveying emotions to the viewer?

I think it’s the reflection of the individuality of each person. When I see someone I want to draw, I immediately think about what additional elements would suit their personality, what would best reveal their character and emotions. It’s not only the image itself that plays a role, but also the choice of technique, because each person corresponds to a specific material.

How do you choose the subjects for your portraits, and what draws you to the particular individuals you depict?

Usually, an image immediately forms in my mind when I see a person. It is shaped by their facial expressions, gestures, some elements of clothing, and sometimes their interests or activities. There is no specific type or principle when choosing a model—it could be absolutely anyone. It’s just that a detail or something else catches my eye, and I feel the urge to capture it. Some portraits were even created from photographs of random passersby I took while walking around the city.

Veronicka Nowickowa | Nick | 2022