Martyna Matusiak joined the art faculty of West Liberty University in August 2012. Prior to that, she taught printmaking, drawing, and mixed media courses at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. At WLU she teaches printmaking, silkscreen, and advance drawing. Her own artistic practice combines all of the above mentioned mediums.
She grew up in Knurów, Poland in a communistic multifamily apartment building surrounded by hundreds of multifamily buildings identical in structure. Straight lines, sharp angles, lack of color, and lack of green space, in addition to the small mining city rhythm, influenced her point of view and sensitivity. She often wonders if that’s why her own art is often monochromatic and uses repetition—at least for now.
Every semester she is eager to meet her new students, when after the first demonstration of a specific technique in the cherished print lab, a student says: “Wow! That’s like magic!” her day is truly made, because she also thinks that way. Students keep surprising her with amazing work and creative ideas, and she always strives to get the best out of each of them.
She recently became a mama to a wonderful boy, Olek. He pretty much changed her life. He is her new companion in the studio, and in life. He is the best thing ever happened to her, and she will let you know about it, as she can really talk about him a lot.
You can follow the activities and images of WLU’s Printmaking program on their Facebook page.