Congratulations to Wanesa on winning the Young Artist Scholarship at the Eisteddfod 2024
Wanesa has taken every opportunity that the Rosy Ind Award has offered her here at SPW – she has worked incredibly hard, been open to learning new printmaking techniques, editioning, and more from other printmakers. Her creativity and enthusiasm for printmaking has been refreshing and inspiring.
We were delighted when her work was selected by Swansea University for the special MinersImprint collection and exhibition.
And we are delighted that she has now won the Young Artist Scholarship at Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2024. A well-deserved and amazing achievement.
I am incredibly proud to have won the Young Artist Scholarship at the Eisteddfod this year. I wouldn’t have achieved this without the support of the Swansea Print Workshop. It was through their Miners Project that I created the prints which have brought me to this point, the furthest I’ve ever come in my life. Working on such a prestigious project has filled me with pride and immense gratitude, and the fact I’ve achieved more great things with it is nothing short of amazing.
I had no idea I had won until the day of the ceremony, and being on live TV was quite intimidating since I’d never been on live TV. It was particularly nerve-racking because I don’t speak Welsh very well, and everyone around me was speaking Welsh. However, the experience was unforgettable and made me really feel like I’d been adopted by Wales. Having moved to Swansea 14 years ago from Poland, winning such a prestigious Welsh award made me feel really welcomed and accepted.
With the £2,000 scholarship prize, I plan to reinvest in similar things that I have been involved in with the Swansea Print Workshop since I’ve had the most success with printmaking. I am considering spending the prize money on printmaking supplies to enable me to start printing from home. Additionally, I hope to maybe establish a small printmaking shop on Etsy to sell my work while I am at university.
Wanesa
Read more about her Scholarship award on the BBC Cymru Fyw here.
And see the Award ceremony here.
Wanesa’s selected print for MinersImprint can be seen on Swansea Printmakers, our online exhibition site, showing alongside work created by the project participants.
Here you can read Wanesa’s profile with her initial thoughts on being a Winner of the Rosy Ind Award and about her experiences and progress as she takes part in the bursary programme – a tailor-made programme of printmaking workshops and activities created around each of our Award Winners in 2024.
A summary of the Bursary programme for both our Winners can be found here. This will be updated throughout the year.
Letterpress with Mark Pavey
Working in Letterpress technique with Mark Pavey
Wanesa first used Letterpress at SPW for the MiniPrint 2023 project and enjoyed revisiting a technique she was familiar with.
She found working collaboratively an interesting experience and appreciated having the opportunity to learn and use our magnificent Columbian press.
Working in Letterpress technique with Mark Pavey
Three colour monotype with Rose Davies
Wanesa really enjoyed the painterly side of this technique, particularly using tools such as brushes to give texture to the artwork which contrasted with other techniques where she has worked in blocks of layered colours.
I really enjoyed this more ‘free’ form of printmaking, and having to think of how the three colours would affect each other was really stimulating.
Wanesa
Working with Rose Davies on the three colour monotype technique
Wood engraving with Sally Hands
Wanesa found it interesting and inspiring to experience the home studio of a working artist. Benefiting from Sally’s knowledge and guidance, and insights into various textures and effects to use, Wanesa enjoyed trying this technique and will continue to experiment at home.
The idea of working with wood on its own proved rewarding, considering wood itself is a medium humanity has interacted with for millions of years. … Working on such a minute and tiny scale was also very interesting with tools I had not used before.
Wanesa
Cyanotype with Nathalie Stone
The technique was very fun and easy to learn. I worked with items I had brought in, photographs I had printed on acetate, and drawings I did on acetate in the workshop. All were different but equally interesting approaches usable in this medium. I really like the multitude of uses and approachability of this medium.
Wanesa
Wanesa had not had the opportunity to use the light exposure unit in college but since taking this workshop she has used the technique and unit in college to print some digital drawings onto fabric for the Skills Textile and Surface Pattern competition at UWTSD.
Screenprinting with Sarah Hopkins
Wanesa worked on SPW’s large screeprinting press – a new experience for her. She enjoyed learning a different approach – working from dark to light
It was relearning something I already knew with a new twist
Wanesa
Working with Sarah Hopkins on multi layered colour screenprint technique using cut paper stencils
Wanesa’s profile:
I am really excited about where this will take me
Wanesa Kazmierowska
Wanesa is currently studying Art and Design at Gower College, Swansea and pursuing an Art History A-level remotely through AHLU (Courtauld Institute of Art).
Wanesa’s first real experience in printmaking was during her Fine Art A-level at Gorseinon where she gained some experience with monoprinting, lino printing, and drypoint techniques. More recently, she attended printmaking workshops at the Glynn Vivian, working in etching using recycled everyday items and screenprinting onto fabric. She also participated in SPW’s MiniPrint Wales Project and her letterpress piece was selected for the project exhibition at the Mission Gallery.
The history of printmaking is of particular interest to Wanesa and she is also intrigued to learn more about the editioning process. She is looking forward to learning and experimenting with the etching process in a contemporary way and, with her interest in illustration, linocut is another technique that also appeals.
The organic forms of people and animals are the subject areas Wanesa most enjoys working in.
Wanesa is looking forward to being able to “immerse myself in the medium of printmaking” in a studio environment where she will have the opportunity to use specialist equipment and materials. She feels learning from, and working alongside, other experienced artists who share a passion for printmaking will greatly advance her knowledge and skills in this art form and provide insight into the real world of printing.
Wanesa sees the Rosy Ind Award as the opportunity to find new ways to express her art and to progress artistically.
She plans to enrich her work for her current Art and Design course with the prints she creates through the bursary and to build her art portfolio going forwards to university and beyond.