Here is a selection of works created in the years 2003-2006 at the "Markot" social welfare home in Tarczyn.  The idea of portraying homeless people arose for several reasons.



First, it's practical - it's not easy to find a model who would pose for a few hours without getting impatient that he has something else to do. Homeless people, when they have a roof over their heads and do not have to worry about their existence, and at the same time maintain sobriety, often fall into a kind of stillness, sitting for hours in silence. Almost like Buddhist monks during contemplation.



Then they are very happy to accept posing offers. They are very natural, they do not need to look more beautiful, they can sit for two or three hours without even feeling tired.


The second reason is their faces - they are like an old map on which everything has been written and from which much can be read. These faces are not beautiful, but most often they are very interesting and after a moment of attention they reveal a person's character.



I almost always had a conversation with the person portrayed. Then I learned the story of her life, love and work. After some time, people got used to this unusual role of being a model and began to trust me. And then they talked about their, usually difficult, fate.

The melancholy and a certain kind of resignation of my models, as if he were saying "there is no rush", "there is no point in fighting windmills", affected me and put me in a state of calm.

After the drawing sessions, I was physically tired, as it happens after a few hours of tense attention, but mentally - calmed down.