I create paintings on canvases by the use of traditional techniques. The process of making painting support begins with the selection of properly woven flax canvas, and wooden stretchers, on which I stretch the linen. In order to be able to paint on it, I coat it with natural glue and cover it with self-made gesso, the type and composition of which I adapt to painting technique used later (e.g. gesso can be more or less absorbent, which has a huge impact on further steps and the final effect of the work). Traditional gessoes – in addition to conducing to the greater durability of paintings – significantly affect the artistic quality of a painting. I often use tinted gesso, the colour of which gives a characteristic tone to an artwork painted on it.
I paint most of my works using egg tempera. It is a precise, centuries-old water-based technique with a matt finish. I make paints by mixing pigments with a binder based on chicken egg yolk and water. They are liquid and I apply them thinly. This kind of paint dries very quickly, so every brushstroke counts – its mark will remain visible, hence I should paint with a steady hand, right from the beginning in the proper way. It is not possible to smudge, smooth or correct paint, unlike in oil painting, because this way I can easily damage an underlying paint layer, flawing my work. The consistency of this type of tempera allows for the application of many thin layers of paint one on top of another, which enables to create a special sonority of colour, and skilful handling of the method of applying glazes – a visual effect of airiness, breath, life.