It’s been an exciting time since starting my business and now, 7 years, I wanted to take the opportunity to share how I got here. So, I invite you to grab a drink, relax and enjoy a trip down memory lane with me…

I grew up in Poland. When I was a child I never thought I’d become a painter. I did art classes at school, but I was never the best. My teacher must have seen something in me though as they wanted me to go to art school. Unfortunately, it was too far away from home, so nothing ever came of it.

In my teens, I was always fascinated by fashion and interior design. On holiday I always found myself buying portraits of myself, painted by street artists. I began collecting art work without knowing why. You should see my bedroom wall in Poland – it’s covered with artwork!

When I moved to the UK in 2011, I met an art teacher who would teach me how to paint step-by-step. But before I could paint, he told me I needed to learn to draw.

Over the course of the next two years I saw my teacher making progress as time went by. Then, starting with acrylic paints, I began painting. You could say the rest is history! My passion was born, and I haven’t looked back. I believe everyone has a talent to share – the tricky bit is discovering it. You have to keep going, even when everything goes wrong! That’s how you become successful.

I’d discovered my passion, but I kept it a secret from friends and family for four years – the secret painter! Then I came across a quote in my favourite book by Oscar Wilde, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ which resonated with me:

“…every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in the secret of my own soul…”

I felt like my thoughts were written down on the page! Seeing this inspired me to embrace my passion and come out of the shadows. And so, Venuso Art was born.

Why ‘Venuso’?

I was born in a town called Bialystok, Poland. My home town is also where the Esperanto language originates from (if you haven’t heard of Esperanto, watch this interesting video – 2 million people still speak the language today!). ‘Venuso’ translates to ‘Venus’ in Esperanto. And of course, ‘Venus’ is a planet and a goddess. So ‘Venuso’ is a combination of my roots in Poland and being a female artist.

Inspirations

I’m inspired everyday – art is all around us! But I’ve been particularly inspired by:

•       Rembrandt (the reason why my first paintings were dark and mysterious)
•       Tamara de Lempicka (a Polish artist)

Venuso Art has taken me to places I never expected, including being commissioned to paint portraits for a number of business and political figures in the Midlands. And, as I write this I’m preparing for my trip to a Paris exhibition where I’ll be selling my paintings. It feels a world away from the child at school who hadn’t yet discovered the joy of painting.

Today Venuso Art Group is a team of artists based in the UK and Europe that specializes in creating custom artwork for interiors. Our artwork is not just a way to decorate, but also a medium to express emotions and tell stories. We believe that every piece of art should be unique and reflect the customer’s personality. That’s why we offer a wide range of artwork in various formats and sizes, including original, embellished, and printed formats; from small projects to gigantic canvases, there is no limit to what we can do.

And here we are today!

If you’d like a portrait of yourself or someone you know, please get in touch. In the meantime, feel free to browse our Gallery to see some of our paintings.