BWAC Member Spotlight

Welcome to our Member Spotlight as we introduce the world to our wonderful members. We are proud to be a member-based organization providing exhibition and collaboration opportunities to artists working in various media.

We invite you to meet some of our featured artists as we “open the doors” to our artist community.

 Sebastian Slomkowski

I was born in New York City and spent parts of my childhood between Greenpoint and Forest Hills before moving to Long Island and graduating from high school in 2008. I was always painting and taking advanced Art classes in my youth, but it wasn't until much later, in my mid-20s when I realized I had it in me to make painting into a career.

1. Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you approach starting a new piece?

I definitely jump the gun a lot and try to get something onto the canvas as quickly as possible, a freedom that comes with abstract art. My work involves so many layers and combinations between line and shape. I often find being too precious in the early stages can slow me down. This requires a certain amount of flexibility in my final vision, understanding that "the mind cannot always see that which the hand will produce", a fundamental part of abstract art, I'm reminded of almost every piece.

2. Working large has advantages [bold, attention-getting] but creates difficulties [studio space, transporting, and hanging]. What led you to work that way?

Unfortunately, yes. As a young child, I saw Jackson Pollack’s 1998 retrospective at MoMA, and ever since that day, I associate my personal place as an artist in the art world with large colorful pieces that have the ability to consume the viewer in an encompassing way, very similar to seeing an inspiring landscape or monument. There is something very important for me about my art being more of an experience you remember than just an image you saw, and that is something I can very much pinpoint to that day at the MoMA all those years ago.

3. You have spent a lot of time in Europe, specifically Finland. How has that informed your work?

I have to be honest here and say it's only ever made me feel like my work is more American. Having gone to art school in London, the combination of having an American accent and large abstract paintings made me stick out like a sore thumb. But in more general terms, gaining exposure to the art world in Europe grew my appreciation for all the different types of art that make up the whole ecosystem. Commercialism is so ingrained in the way American art is presented nowadays. Europe offers a much more institutional approach and seems to support all corners of the art world, not just the market trends.

4. Has your work always been abstract, or did you go through phases with other styles?

This has always been a struggle of mine. The ability to convey a message through creative imagery is one of the pillars that make us human and has been one of the strongest forms of expression throughout our history. So, to be working with paint, color, and lines and never creating something figurative with these tools doesn't sit right with me. I will always prioritize my abstract work, but the urge to create more narrative-based images is always in the back of my mind.

5. You sold a large painting this fall in BWAC. How has that informed the way you think about your work going forward?

To just put my head down and keep producing. When I was a younger artist, I naively thought there was a certain level of expertise you could reach and that's it. So it feels great to be at this stage and still have the appetite to want to push boundaries and evolve my practice.