While studying in her native Poland, Marta Spendowska spent a five-month internship in Atlanta, Georgia. During that time she sold a painting for $20 on the sidewalk and from then on her goal was to move to the US permanently and become an artist. Over a decade later, her dream has become reality. Not only is she a successful watercolour illustrator with a distinctive, impactful style, but she has a sideline making pillows, scarves, clutches and tops from her own designs. She’s a vegetarian, has never ever eaten a hamburger, and can walk on her hands at will.
Training
Marta studied journalism and marketing while living in Poland, achieving a masters degree. After moving to the US she took courses in graphic design and web design.Approach
Marta’s aim is never to simply paint something, she sets out to interpret the subject in a way that’s interesting and meets the client’s brief. She works quickly and expressively. For Marta, the paint does the work – she simply manages it – and she loves how watercolours bleed and blend into both the paper and one another. She’ll often include little touches with pencils, crayons or a brush, adding graphic elements, lines or some rough shapes to round off a composition. Scratches, wild bleeds of colour, random blobs – they give her work a unique and unexpected edge.Style
Whether in portraiture or still life, Marta really has a knack for letting the paint express the feeling of the piece. Her work is fluid, vibrant and immediate, and engages the imagination of the viewer. Influences include Egon Schiele, John Singer Sargent, Georgia O’Keeffe, Annie Kevans and Jenny Saville.
Marta also works under the brand VERYMARTA.
