New to Artclectic
“I have always been drawn to the arts,” begins Emily Ciecka. “I studied graphic design in college and spent more than a decade working in the creative industry as both a graphic designer and creative director.
“My journey into printmaking began through my love of drawing with ink. I found myself relying heavily on dark values in my drawings, so I started experimenting with linocut as a way to challenge myself to think in reverse, to create with the light rather than the dark. What began as an exercise quickly became a passion. I fell in love with the hands-on nature of printmaking, the problem-solving involved in the process, and the anticipation of pulling a finished print. The rest, as they say, is history. I believe my love for graphic design and art found a perfect match in linocut printmaking.”
Draw every day. Dream big, but never underestimate the power of consistency. Success is built through consistent dedication and a willingness to improve, even when no one is watching.
I believe my work is still evolving as an emerging artist. It reflects what I find beautiful and my deep love of storytelling, but I also feel that I have only scratched the surface of what is possible. I look forward to diving deeper into more personal stories, not to draw attention to myself, but to use my experiences as a way to connect with others and point them toward hope. That is the heart of my work: to reveal beauty in the everyday and to remind people that each new day holds new possibilities. The sun will come up again tomorrow.
In printmaking, nearly everything is planned in advance and reverse-engineered. Unlike other mediums where an artist may ask, "What should I add?" or "What should I take away?" near the end of the process, those questions are answered at the very beginning in printmaking. I need to know where I am headed before I ever make the first cut. That said, the process is never entirely predictable. There are always unexpected challenges, discoveries, and occasional mistakes along the way. Printmaking has taught me to be adaptable, to work with the process rather than against it. Often, what initially seems like a mistake becomes an opportunity, leading the work in a direction I hadn't anticipated and ultimately strengthening the final piece.
