Rita Staszulonok

Rita Staszulonok- professional artist, based in Poland since 2010. Staszulonok graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Fine Arts, gaining skills in the traditional techniques of stained glass, mosaic, fresco, sgraffito, drawing, encaustic, oil and tempera painting. After two years of work as assistant lecturer, she obtained painting instructor position at the same college.

Favourite technique - egg tempera on panel. Staszulonok likes the craft aspect and the nobility of tempera. She is one of the few contemporary artist who practice this medium.

Staszulonok is a member of the Association of Polish Artists ZPAP. She is a winner of Polish Minister of Culture Gaude Polonia Scholarship, Cultural Scholarship of the City of Gdansk, Creative Scholarship of Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, and Creative Scholarship of Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport.
She is a participant of artistic residencies at Instituto Sacatar (Brazil), Can Serrat (Spain), and Granadilla de Abona (Spain). Staszulonok is the author of more than 20 individual exhibitions, and participant of collective exhibitions in Uzbekistan, USA, Australia, Poland, Bulgaria, Spain and Denmark.

Grants / Awards

2022 Fellows of The Instituto Sacatar, Brazil
2021 Creative Scholarship of the Polish Minister of Culture 2019 Creative Scholarship of the Marshal of the Pomeranian

Voivodeship
2017 Cultural Grant City of Gdansk
2011 Fellows of The Instituto Sacatar, Brazil
2008 Polish Ministry of Culture Stipend Program Gaude Polonia,

Artistic Statement

Painting, to me, is as a form of dialogue with the world. I love to create my own parallel reality. I am just a receiver that processes the world around me. That is why my inspiration can be anything i run into: a book I read, art history or a new scientific discovery, or a rock I stumbled across on the way to my studio.

I try to combine genuine craft and skill with experimentation and a fresh artistic vision. In my art, I attempt to bridge the gap between the present-day, and the long-ago. I am curious about the modern world as well as the history of art. I spend much time on research so that my paintings can have a modern-day conversation with works of the past.

For twenty years now, I have been focusing on traditional artistic media, especially the egg tempera, an ancient technique used universally until the 15th century, as it gives me the widest palette of artistic expression. This medium allows me to create rich details and intense colours concentrating a lot of information onto a small surface. Additionally, by putting down layers of tempera on highly reflective true gesso, I am able to juxtapose opaque and luminous colours for a greater effect. I don’t believe in inspirations, I believe in hard work. Ideas come during maximum immersion in the process. I'm impatient, but tempera dries quickly allowing me to apply the next layer faster. Layers of paint and layers of meanings, this is how I tell my stories.