Kathrin Górczak makes realistic sculptures

2022-02-21

Kathrin Górczak never thought she would dedicate herself to art. It wasn’t until she had an accident that prevented her from doing what she loved that she realised she had to find another passion. 

Kathrin Górczak is a sculptor from the Netherlands. Growing up she couldn't imagine she would devote her time to art. Her passion lay in kickboxing to which she was very dedicated. 

– I did kickboxing for a few years. I was really into it but then I fell on my elbow and my shoulder popped out.

Kathrin Górczak's first meeting with art was in school. Once a week she attended art class where they tried different techniques. One day they were working with clay and when they were finished the teacher told her she had talent.

– I didn’t really think much about it at the time because I didn’t have any interest in art at the moment. 

After hurting her elbow Kathrin had to have surgery and the recovery period was long.  She slowly started to realise there was a possibility she wasn’t going to be able to kickbox anymore.

– I was really sad when I understood that I might not be able to do it anymore. I realised that I had to find another passion. 

Kathrin had never been into art before. Now, when she found herself unable to do what she loved, she suddenly thought of that time in art class.

– Although I didn’t believe what the teacher told me at the time, I had never forgotten his words. So, I bought myself a bit of clay. 

She started making sculptures. And then she couldn't stop.

– Before, I never paid much attention to art. Now as I’m walking somewhere I always go and have a look when I see something interesting. It’s funny how I didn’t notice it before, but now I see art everywhere.

Kathrin do see some similarities between art and kickboxing. 

– Of course, there are a lot of differences between the two, but the similarity for me is that they made me stay focused. When I was kickboxing, my mind was only focused on what I was doing at the moment. The same applies to art. When I am making my sculptures, I can think of nothing else. So, in that way they are the same. Now art is my outlet. 

How do you choose your motives?

– Sometimes I have a plan and sometimes it is spontaneous. I can get my inspiration from everywhere; it can be a photo or a TV-show like Animal planet. Then I look it up to get the details. Lately I have mostly made animals, but sometimes I do something different. Just now I made an angel with a tiger head. I always want to make my art a little different and evolve. I try not to get stuck in one style.

Can you describe your creative process?

– When I get an idea, I start sketching. At first I always feel like it is too difficult but the more I work the more ideas I get. Sometimes the result is very different than my original plan, but my goal is always to make something that looks realistic with a lot of details. I use airdry clay and then I paint it with acrylic paint and most of the time I finish with a glossy look. Sometimes I try to make it look interesting by adding details like flowers or stones to the sculpture. Then I don't stop until I’m happy. Since I always try to make something I know I won’t be able to do it feels really good when it's finished, and I realize I actually could do it. I can look at the sculpture for a long time and wonder how on earth I did it. 

Kathrin Górczak will exhibit her work at Artportable v.31 och 32. Welcome!

See more of Kathrin's art here!

Matilda Wirström

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