Halina Witkowska’s dreams didn’t come true. She was already retired and could, she had such an intention, devote a lot of effort to her artistic work. Maybe it would be a series of new drawings, or maybe oil paintings? She tried to work till the end.
She painted oil paintings, pastels, which were scattered among fans of her work. She created hundreds of drawings in ink, pencil, crayon. They are now in the possession of many people from Bydgoszcz, in Poland, around the world. This exhibition was created on the basis of the collections of her son, family and closest friends. It shows all aspects of the art of Halina Witkowska, the topics and themes that inspired her.
She was most interested in the landscape in the broad sense of the word. She transferred to paper or canvas fragments of nature trees, grass, branches, roots and birds which fascinated with their shape — strong, densely distributed strokes or small patches of colour, expressive in the 90s, then quieter, more academic in nature. Halina Witkowska „wove” her works, while maintaining the realism of the presentation. Only sometimes she lost shapes in the thicket and the sheer volume of lines. She created with great energy, quickly and efficiently. She didn’t perfect her works, although oftentimes one can feel that way.
Halina Witkowska never fully revealed her inherent expression and technical skills. For many years, she mainly drew the architecture of Bydgoszcz (also Torun and Gdansk), small format works, treating them as commercial work they were extremely appreciated for their realistic, simple form. Moreover, they identify Halina Witkowska, thanks to them she became recognizable as a graphic artist. But this series, so I think, stopped the creative possibilities of the artist. At some point it’s hard to break free from convention, start drawing freely, create without restrictions.
This exhibition, dominated by drawings, shows the dilemma of works freely shaped and those more rigid in their formula. It shows the views of the city, the landscape of the surroundings of Bydgoszcz, works from the open-airs in Bavaria and the Austrian Alps, a series of images of birds, examples of student works and metaphorical works all of them uncover another Halina Witkowska. As a result, an image of just some of the creative possibilities of Halina Witkowska emerges an unfinished image.
In the little salon on 3 Gdańska St., in 1981, the first individual exhibition of Halina Witkowska took place. Since 1990, her drawings always supported the Kantorek Gallery until the end. And this exhibition is my thank-you to Halina, a wonderful friend, for her cooperation.
Elżbieta Kantorek

Exhibition open between February 2nd and 26th, 2016
We invite all friends of Halina Witkowska for a meeting on the anniversary of her death:: February 13th, 2016, 6pm
Halina Witkowska was born on May 19th, 1952, in Bydgoszcz. She died on February 13th, 2014. She attended the National School of Fine Arts in Bydgoszcz, where later, in the years 1987 to 2008, she taught artistic and professional topics. She obtained a degree in graphic design 1977, at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. She dealt with painting, drawing, graphics and artistic design. The author of eleven individual exhibitions. She participated in several group exhibitions. Since 1992, she worked with a creative group SEPIA from Bavaria.
Solo exhibitions:
1981 exhibition of drawings, Little Salon of Art, BWA, Bydgoszcz
1992 Drawings and paintings, Bydgoszcz-Piła Chamber of Physicians, Bydgoszcz
1993 Paintings, drawings, fabrics, Tuchola Cultural Centre, Tuchola
1993 Paintings, Biała Sień Gallery, Gdańsk
1994 Paintings, drawings, Olching near Munich, Germany
1996 Paintings, drawings, the Iris club, Bydgoszcz
1998 Paintings, drawings, Olching near Munich, Germany
1999 Drawings, Bydgoszcz-Piła Chamber of Physicians, Bydgoszcz
2002 Inspired by nature (paintings), College of Environmental Protection, Bydgoszcz
2008 Drawings from Bavaria, Municipal Gallery bwa, Kantorek Gallery, Bydgoszcz
2013 Drawings, Opera Nova, Bydgoszcz