The whole set of re-published novels by Gaja Grzegorzewska / Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Cover design by Marek Pawłowski / Wydawnictwo Literackie
Re-published by Wydawnictwo Literackie, “Grób” – dark crime story by Gaja Grzegorzewska with my illustration on the cover. Released on November, 2016.
An illustration for the special edition of Zwykłe Życie, a life-style magazine published in Poland. This doggie became a part of a series called “Gumowe Ucho” – illustrated short stories, pieces of dialogues and situations picked from the street by Agata Napiórska, the editor of a magazine. Also, it is my personal tribute to Kazimierz Mikulski, cracovian painter and scenographer, who created “Ferdynand Wspaniały” – a character from the book by this title written by Ludwik Jerzy Kern. Of course – the dog from the picture exists for real – his name is Piorun (Thunder) and he’s a VIP.
Re-published by Wydawnictwo Literackie, “Topielica” – dark crime story by Gaja Grzegorzewska with my illustration on the cover. Released on August, 2016.
The re-published set of Gaja Grzegorzewska’s novels.
Design by Marek Pawłowski / Wydawnictwo Literackie
All books of the Author, published by Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Design by Marek Pawłowski / Wydawnictwo Literackie
Re-published by Wydawnictwo Literackie, “Noc z czwartku na niedzielę” – dark crime story by Gaja Grzegorzewska with my illustration on the cover. Released on June, 2016.
Brand new book by Gaja Grzegorzewska! “Kamienna noc” with my illustration on the cover. The book was released on May, 2016. I was really happy and surprised when I’ve found out a small, yet funny trend in Gaja’s fandome: girls were making themselves selfies, wearing sunglasses and hoodies – like on the cover and posting the photos online. Le plus Ql.
Beautifull and tallented – Gaja Grzegorzewska with “Kamienna noc” / photo: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Re-published by Wydawnictwo Literackie, “Żniwiarz” – dark crime story by Gaja Grzegorzewska with my illustration on the cover. Released on February 2016.
Design by Marek Pawłowski / Wydawnictwo Literackie.
I’m happy to be on a team of “Grain of truth”, the second film of Borys Lankosz, director of “Reverse” Polish candidate to OSCAR ACADEMY AWARD® in 2009, awarded at the film festival in Moscow, New York and Seattle. The film is an adaptation of the bestseller thriller by Zygmunt Miloszewski , “A Grain of Truth” was awarded the High Calibre Prize for the Best Polish Crime Novel of the Year 2011. It was published in 2012 in Great Britain and USA by Bitter Lemon Press. On January 2014 the book was published in Israel by Pen / Jedijot Sfarim
So, what is it all about?
A big shot prosecutor Teodor Szacki divorces his wife and leaves Warsaw to “start a new life” in picturesque town in southeast Poland Sandomierz. After a short while he is called in to investigate a strange and mysterious murder case. Alienated in provincial reality he struggles to find a killer, when he stumbles upon more victims. While the investigation continues he realizes that all murders are connected to alleged historical Jewish ritual killings. Those murders prompt a wave of antisemitic hysteria in the town. In his investigation Szacki must wrestle with the painful tangle of PolishJewish relations and real findings of his work that roots of some legends arefantasy, not a grain of truth… (source: Studio Rewers).
My work included: making the clay model of the underground and then the storyboard for an underground sequence.
“Grain of truth” was promoted during Berlin International Film Festival. Below, a promotional leaflet, with my illustration on the front and back – it is a travesty of an infamous painting by Karol de Prevot, depicting Jews slaughtering Christian children. Since XVII century the painting decorates the wall of a catholic cathedral in Sandomierz – sadly for years it was left without any commentary or just covered – a shameful sign of anti-Semitism, hidden deeply in our consciousness, functioning (even till now) in a form of a gruesome urban legend.
De Prevot’s painting. Source: Wiki Media,
Here is two illustrations I made for the short story entitled: “Things I’ve found at the attic, but did not tell Mom about”, written by Marceli Szpak for Zwykłe Życie – one sweet, rich in content, clever and well designed magazine.
Sweet small project: “Tribute to Valentina”, the heroine of Master Crepax. “Tributes made by some of the best international comic book artists from countries such as Portugal, Switzerland, Brazil,
Croatia, UK, USA, France, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Italy, México, Argentina, Finland to Valentina by Guido Crepax for an exhibition to this iconic character to promote Fantagraphics Books Inc. upcoming Crepax book collection”. Here is my first approach – a bit more bodylicious Valentina, with crazy peacock feathers. AND – OMG – it landed in a noble company (Sienkiewicz, Koeb, Farby, Pratt, Canalez, Mack and many more, also – great Polish artists like Wojtek Stefaniec…I’m intimidated. Thx Manuel Espirito Santo for the invite!
Martim Monitz is a band from Poznan, Poland, founded by three musicians playing from years in various independent formations. The story begins in early ’90 when we started playing together in noise band Ciastko. Along the way they played in other bands from punk to free improvisation music. In 2012 they met again in Martim Monitz to play something that sound like post-noise, post-punk and post-hardcore. I made an illustration that ended up on the cover of their LP Vinyl. Proud to participate in a great project. Powerful sound. Wanna listen?
Original artwork was painted with acrylics, on canvas, 40 x 40 cm.
Yup. We (The Band and my cover) were noticed and ended up amongst the best vinyl covers of 2015.
A series of illustrations on paper with Anubis – leitmotive: travel.
Joanna Karpowicz / “Anubis in Hakone I”, 25 x 35 cm, acrylic on paper, 2015
Joanna Karpowicz, “Maddux Air Lines”, 25 x 35 cm, acrylic on paper, 2015
Maddux Air Lines, established in the late 1920 operated in California, Arizona and Mexico. Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart were among the famous aviators who were involved with Maddux.
And here is Anubis with a Lady, who plans to spend her winter holidays at Agua Caliente Casino, sipping coctails in the sun.
Joanna Karpowicz / “Parkersburg X-Mass”, 25 x 35 cm, acrylic on paper, 2015
“Anubis in Cancun”, 25 x 35 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2014
Summer plenair with Galeria Stalowa, Kazimierz Dolny / Polska.
On spring, 2015 “Wysokie Obcasy’, women’s extra with Gazeta Wyborcza (every Saturday) had launched a new short stories series, called “About Love”. For a few months I was illustrating those life-style stories gathered and written by Magdalena Lankosz, Magdalena Kicińska and Jerzy Ziemacki.
Here is a few examples of my work.
Joanna Karpowicz / “Sit straight!”, 30 x 40 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2015.
Some of the gruesome concept arts I made for Grain of truth, the movie directed by Borys Lankosz. Big thanks to dr.Artur Skutecki who consulted the possible solutions in case of Anatol character.
The storyboard for an underground sequence from “A Grain of Truth” is finished. In order to capture the plot of dramatic events I’ve made over 110 frames and a dozens of pencil sketches (frankly I had to stop myself not to make a full comic story out of it). After an experience with the underground model made out of clay I choose a painting technique for the storyboards, because it seemed to be more expressive and suited towards the general mood of the location.
Here is a few frames.
It is a very weird feeling to hold this naked, white figurine in my hands. And then give it a life. You wash it carefully, with a warm water and soap, you dry it gently and then – there it is, waiting for you to become somebody. I’ve painted this vinyl toy for Artkomiks.pl (sold). It is inspired by my first comic album, “The Lipstick” / “Szminka”, written by Jerzy Szyłak.
Here is three illustrations of my Pin-up Alice series, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. I love the story and Wonderland’s atmosphere. I also like vintage pin-up art very much, it is sexy, yet in a way sweet and innocent. My Alice’s are not that lost, as the original one and a bit more sophisticated. To tell the truth I’ve always had a feeling that Carroll was writing for a bit more mature reader. I made those illustrations with my favorite technique: acrylics on textured canvas paper. Also, as I believe that music and pictures go hand in hand I would highly recommend you to follow “The White Rabbit” while reading this post. “One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.”
One side of WHAT? The other side of WHAT?’ thought Alice to herself. “Of the mushroom,” said the Caterpillar, just as if she had asked it aloud; and in another moment it was out of sight.
Freshly painted portrait of a “Duck playing skat”, 33 x 27 cm, acrylic on canvas. I painted it as a gift to my Step Father, famous duck collector and skat player.
What animal would you choose to be painted as?
Joanna Karpowicz / “Player”, 33 x 27 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2014
I also painted a “lucky duck” on my Step Father’s skiing helmet.
“I am the grass; I cover all”
I always wanted to paint figurines, but I didn’t until Marek Kasperski, a collector of comic original artworks and owner of ArtKomiks.pl – first professional on-line comic artwork gallery in PL, send me two little Munnies. Oh it was fun. This is the first one, inspired by my Anubis painting series you can see in this post.
Gaja Grzegorzewska, Polish novelist, the author of crime novels about a female private detective, Julia Dobrowolska: Żniwiarz, Noc z czwartku na niedzielę, Topielica (awarded with Great Caliber in 2011) and Grób (2012). Her newest book, “Betonowy Pałac” is going to be released on 28th of August, 2014. It’s published by Wydawnictwo Literackie from Cracow. I’m happy to announce that my illustration is going to be on the cover of this, so anticipated by the fans of Gaja’s writing, book.
Photo: Wydawnictwo Literackie
Cover design: Marek Pawłowski / Wydawnictwo Literackie
From a long time Jubilat had been an inspiration to me. Here – in the second plan.
So this is how it looks printed. “Songes de Mevlido” / “Dreams of Mevlido” by Antoine Volodine, with my
ilustration on the cover. Publisher: Draft Publishing, 2014 / Warsaw / Poland.
Reccomendation from Xiegarnia.pl. by Filip Łobodziński
Original artwork was painted on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, with acrylics.
An illustration made for and alternative cover of “Zeszyty Komiksowe”, in 2014.
“Smoking hot”, 42 x 35 cm, acrylic on canvas paper, 2014
Every war craves victims. Most of all – people. But also – objects. When the dust settles things are missing. Poland has a whole list of paintings, sculptures, objects of art&craft lost as a result of The Second World War. Maybe one day “Singing Shepard” by Ernst Barlach, artist inspired bz eastern folklor, will be back. This illustration and vinyl figure was created for ArtKomiks.pl in 2014.
Joanna Karpowicz / “Nessie”, 50 x 70 cm, acrylic on paper, 2013
Joanna Karpowicz / “Bigfoot”, 50 x 70 cm, acrylic on paper, 2013
Joanna Karpowicz / “Anubis reading”, 35 x25 cm, acrylic on paper, 2014
“S as in Space” (“K jak kosmos”), Gili Gili – issue #3 and exhibition at Łącznik Gallery. Finally I have it in my hands and it looks awesome. Issue #3 was presented on the opening
of the exhibition in Galeria Łącznik, in my hometown, Cracow.
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Photo by Galeria Łącznik.
“Last tram to the moon”, 30 x 40 cm, acrylic on paper, 2012
2 x Pantone, a characteristic feature of “Gili-Gili” magazine.
“Camping on a dark side”, 30 x 40 cm, acrylic on paper, 2012
Each author presented in the publication gets one spread, here is mine.
Photo: Gili Gili. Galeria Łącznik.
An old illustration of mine, published in the newest issue of Krakow Post – magazine about culture, lifestyle and people, created mostly by ex-pats (not only for ex-pats), distributed for free all around the city. I’ve found this issue in Piękny Pies while drinking whisky with Magdalena Lankosz, the scriptwriter of “Anastasia” – and the only person I know who puts sugar in her vodka with lemon.
Joanna Karpowicz / “Green Tornado”, 25 x 30 cm, acrylic on paper, 2012
“What we see
and what we seem
are but a dream…
a dream within a dream”.
14th of February, Valentine’s Day. Year 1900. Girls from Appleyard College go for a picnic at Hanging Rock. Peter Weir put a celluloid spell on those oneiric young ladies and locked them forever in a rocky labyrinth. They take of their black stockings and climb barefoot, free in white dresses. Time stops. Rock hypnotizes. Some time ago I made this box, a tribute for “Picnic at Hanging Rock”. Acrylic, cardboard, canvas. And mystery inside.
“Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow”.
Here is a litlle “paper cut out something” I made inspired by Robert Frost’s poem, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”.
To design and create a hardcover book – a classic task at the faculty of book design and typography. I’ve chosen Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, because…what will make a better hardcover than a wooden coffin? Abraham “Bram” Stoker wrote his gothic novel, “Dracula” in 1987. When I read the book for the first time I was in fear of the blood sucking monster. Today I pity Dracula and even sympathize with him sometimes (we tend to have common problem of insomnia). “Oh, the terrible struggle that I have had against sleep so often of late; the pain of the sleeplessness, or the pain of the fear of sleep, and with such unknown horror as it has for me! How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.” Poor Dracula.
The book, presented on the photos is fully handmade. Typography (not my forte) is simplified. “Scratched” logo-like title appears both on the cover and in the book, on the title page. Illustrations (originally there is about 15 of them) were made with ink on pressed paper. I decided to not to bind them, just left them separated (so they rest in peace). Coffin is made out of plywood, inside I glued it with a silver satin. Dracula Hardcover is pretty old, it was made in 2000.
“Historias de cronopios y de famas” is a short story anthology by Julio Cortázar. One of the stories in a book is a weirdly poetic piece, entitled “How to be scared”. Base on this text I’ve created a book – art object, which folds, creating different reading options. This little experiment was made in year 2000, during my studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow.
