The Artist-in-Residence programme was created by previous Head of Visual Art and Design, Chas Foxall, and is supported by the Friends, to give students more exposure to industry professionals. The programme allows King’s to host an artist for a week, with daily workshops for students to learn from.
Artist-in-Residence Szczepan Urbanowicz
For Szczepan, this was something on the cards for a while, after having known Chas for many years.
“I have taught watercolour in Brisbane, where I had been living previously, so it was nice to be able to teach again. The enthusiasm from the students and the support from the staff at King’s has made it a fantastic week.”
First and foremost an architect in urban design, Szczepan has spent ten years travelling to multi-national companies around the world to facilitate their building designs from the initial conception phase.
After working on numerous projects and exciting developments, Szczepan made the decision to dial back his travelling and focus on his new passion – watercolour.
“You’ve got to follow your passion,” Szczepan says. “It keeps things interesting. I always wanted to be an artist and after many years of travelling the world for architectural projects, I am grateful to be able to take a step back from these tight design constraints.”
Now an artist and a contracting architect, Szczepan has found the best of both worlds.
“I love the challenge watercolor presents. Though the technical illustrations in architecture seem in contrast to the quick impression drawing in watercolour, I do find that there are many comparisons to be drawn and this was something I wanted to show the students.”
When asked about how he found the King’s Art department Szczepan was full of praise.
“King’s has taken on a much more holistic approach to art. It was a welcome surprise seeing teachers here focus more on explorative art, rather than just ticking boxes – I got a real buzz being here.”
