AN INTERVIEW WITH URSZULA BŁASZAK

ARTIST’S HOUSE: Who is Urszula Blaszak?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: She’s the person behind the visual artist Ula de B. The character, the work, and the face...

ARTIST’S HOUSE: How did your journey with art start?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: I was two years old. It was raining outside. In a small room, sitting together, I’ve learned how to draw a human being. Then, also my mom sat down with me and showed me a book filled with works created by Witkacy. Silly as it sounds, by the time I was four, I knew what my mission in life was and who I am.

ARTIST’S HOUSE: What is your biggest accomplishment?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: I just looked at my past to answer this question. I’ve done so many things and dares and conquests. Faced so many adventures. But there’s still so much that I haven’t done. Getting invited to a Masters in Fine Arts program at University of Central Florida after getting/finishing a restricted access program Bachelors of Fine Arts with honors in the major and university honors would probably count. But then, I did a postgraduate degree in Leadership and Education... Something that I got because I was pursuing a PhD in it... Maybe it’s being published in places that I’ve seen people acting like fools just to get in. My son. (Laughter) It’s a collaborative work, but he is the most wonderful creation and a human that can ever be. I’m proud of him and his victories against the battle of Autism. I’m proud of his growth, charm, character. My nerdy side, stubborn pursuit of happiness and art... all of it comes together. I’m able to use it to give him his best possible life, help others, and do it the way it should be done. With love, joy, and creativity. That being said... that’s my private accomplishment. My art is a travel through subconscious and breaking down the absolutes... so I’m glad that I came across Witkacy... My art is meant for humans in general and stripped of foolish prudery and fakeness, when appropriate. It comes from deep down the soul. It’s pure. It’s a fragment of my reality. So you’ll never know what you’ll find. So I’m not exactly an artist like Dr. Seuss... I’m more of that crazy uncle/aunt that’s a humanist and will kidnap your and your kids’ minds to travel to Narnia...

ARTIST’S HOUSE: Your biggest dream?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: Peace. Peace of mind... spending a few years just by my brushes and whatever art supplies. With my son in college. And me releasing a new graphic novel. And a dog, cat, and fresh air.

ARTIST’S HOUSE: Favorite food?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: It’s always changing. I’ve never committed myself to one.

ARTIST’S HOUSE: Which artwork of yours are you most proud of and why?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: Every single time that I look at my artworks is as if I was looking at them for the first time. One moment I feel breath taken, my mind thrown into another universe. The other, I see everything that can and should be fixed. Each work comes with its own story and each one is a trip. But once I’m done with it, I dare not touch it again. That’s why I sign my work. To preserve its soul. So I don’t really have an artwork that is the most superior ruler of all the other works. It’s too much of a commitment, too much attachment. My best accomplishment is yet to come. And even when it does, I will not sit idly and will probably be pretty frustrated that I cannot do better than that...

ARTIST’S HOUSE: How do you think of ideas on what you create?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: I am a thinker, so ideas constantly flow through my mind. I also think visually. What I close my eyes, if I let myself focus on the visual, my mind introduces different images. A lot of my work is done similarly, I let my mind get a bit of everything, shutter it, and combine it all over again. Memories, concepts, thoughts... poetry helps me arrange it all into one. My work reflects my outside world and thoughts. Its aim is to communicate the complexity of our world. But I should probably stay clear of committing to that too...

ARTIST’S HOUSE: If you could send an email to your 20 year old self, what would you say?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: Hmmm... if I’d do that, I’d ultimately change who I am now and I wouldn’t be able to say it. I’ve made my mistakes and missed many opportunities, but ultimately I only regret hurts and missed moments when I could have given people and animals more affection and love. Overall, the thing I have to say to all people is: “Hurry up to love people. They leave so soon.” (Twardowski)

ARTIST’S HOUSE: If you could meet any artist you want, who would you choose and why?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: They all had so many issues... Frida sounds almost fun, but there’s so much emphasis in her art on suffering... Witkacy? Dali? Impressionists? I don’t know. They all are or were humans. I’m an introvert. One place that I wish I could see is the world that Andy Warhol lived in.

ARTIST’S HOUSE: Is there any moment of your life which makes you smile when you think about it?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: Birth of my son and holding him in my hands. He was so tiny.

ARTIST’S HOUSE: If you had a time machine, to what period of time would you like to travel to and why?

URSZULA BŁASZAK: When I’m thinking about the past, I think about atmospheric makeup of our planet, the climate, germs, hygiene, dangers... when I think about the future, I know it’s all about choices and that each one will create a completely different reality.

FEBRUARY 2019