Kapi Michalska lives in Szczecin, the second largest port city in Poland, alive with theatres, museums and event spaces. Graduated at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Design, during her studies she explored the fusion between painting and graphic design. Today her creativity thrives primarily in the design and Digital realm, delivering what she loves most. Her artistic passion is focused on creating portraits where faces, prints and textures come together. Her artistic path revolves around the exploration of human nature. In her portraits semi-realistic characteristics blend with abstract shapes, precisely these shapes represent the different emotions we perceive.
" My artistic journey revolves around the exploration of human nature. Within my portraits, I blend semi-realistic features with abstract shapes, representing the different emotions we encounter. Embracing digital media for several years now, I continue to derive joy from unraveling the intricacies of colors, patterns, and shapes, translating them into a profound emotional tapestry."
THE INTERVIEW
Chiara: Hi Kapi! It's a pleasure to interview you! First question that I always ask. What does a regular day look like for you?
Kapi:My days revolve around my kids and work. We usually get up around six, then either my husband or I do the school run. Since both of us have home studios, that part of the day takes some time. Afterward, I check in with my team—we mostly do branding projects, so the work is creative and diverse, never boring! Painting unfortunately comes last, but I always look forward to that one or two quiet hours when I can immerse myself in it.
Chiara: Since when did you start painting? And why did you choose digital design?
Kapi:I’ve been drawing since I was little, often copying characters from Sailor Moon or sketching animals and plants, though people always fascinated me the most. Around 2000 I got my first graphic tablet - my dad was very supportive and bought me this then “crazy” device, which opened the world of digital painting for me. I was self-taught until university, where I studied graphic design and also trained in oil painting. Since then, I’ve been trying to merge the feel of traditional brushes with digital tools. Digital painting also fits better with my limited free time, though I do miss the physicality of paints.
Chiara: What do you get inspired by for the creation of your works of art?
Kapi: I’m inspired by color contrasts and the way light transforms them. My background in graphic design also plays a big role - I often experiment with composition and pattern in my paintings.
Chiara: This is your second collaboration with us (Gaudium Space). Compared to "Finding Inner Strength," the site-specific work you are making for Pescocostanzo is the beginning of a new poetics. How was it for you to investigate naturalistic issues?
Kapi: It was quite a journey! I began to appreciate nature more deeply and started looking for inspiration everywhere. Working with nature is calming and gave me the opportunity to open a new chapter in my work.
Chiara: Do you have any particular paintings that helped you in the realization of the work Wild Fragments?
Kapi: Yes, definitely! The works of Andrea Belvedere and Seghers were very important in helping me find my voice for this subject.
Chiara: What is your interpretation of nature? And how do you approach it?
Kapi: For me, nature is a fleeting beauty that constantly renews itself - it feels momentary, yet proves eternal. My approach is still quite collage-like: I love to paint different forms and let them collide together.
Chiara: There is often a calm or dreamy tension in your work: are these environments intended to calm, disrupt, or both?
Kapi: Oh, definitely both! I’m always searching for a balance between harmony and disruption.
Chiara: Your work has a wide range of colors. How do you approach color?
Kapi: I strive for strong and unexpected contrasts. Sometimes I even repaint or completely change the palette, so the final piece looks very different from the initial one. I like letting colors lead me to unknown destinations.
Chiara: Anybody you look up to?
Kapi: There are so many! At the moment, I’m obsessed with Ruprecht von Kaufmann.
Chiara: What motivates you?
Kapi: I have an inner need to create. When I don’t find time for drawing or painting, I feel my mental health slipping - so for me, making art is necessary.
Chiara: Last question that I always like to ask, which is the song that represents you the most?
Kapi: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now by the amazing Joy Crookes.