Hanna Werkowicz - Nautilus

Title: “Nautilus” (2026)
Technique: Japanese ink, Japanese mineral pigments, metal leaf on cotton canvas
Framing: pine frame in American box style (floating frame). The work is ready to hang on the wall. It is signed on the back (a sticker with the signature).

Hello! If you’re looking for a unique and unconventional painting created with a noble technique and you feel drawn to the mysterious and dignified world of nature, you’re at the right address.
I am an experienced artist and painter from Poland. I am strongly inspired by Japanese aesthetics and natural history illustrations from bygone eras. My paintings fit perfectly not only into private interiors but also into spaces such as boutique hotels, cafes, offices, beauty clinics, or studios. I include a certificate of authenticity with every work.

My direct inspiration is the Japanese nihonga technique. The paintings are made on cotton canvas or paper. Paint is ground by hand from Japanese mineral pigments suihi and homemade glue. For applying, I use brushes in an Asian style, commonly associated with calligraphy. The white paint comes from gofun – the Japanese oyster shell powder. I also paint sumi ink based on water. The gilded fragments in my paintings are shalagam – metal leaf imitating gold. These metallic elements beautifully reflect light, even on cloudy days, and make the painting look slightly different from every angle.

The spiral shell of a boatswain fills almost the entire composition, and the arms emerging from it and the characteristic eye with a greenish iris give the animal an unexpected expressiveness and presence. The background is formed by organic, flowing shapes in blue and gold, among which pinkish corals with a sculptural texture branch out. The combination of precisely rendered anatomy of the boatswain with a decorative, rhythmic background layout evokes the tradition of Japanese and European natural history illustrations, while also extending beyond them toward a composition with its own monumental power.

Hanna Werkowicz (born 1986, Warsaw) is a graduate of the Theatre Academy in Warsaw and a makeup school. She has also worked as an illustrator, set designer for advertising and film, and created about 500 artistic objects for clients around the world. The artist’s main inspirations are Japanese aesthetics and old natural history illustrations, with animals and plants at the center of her artistic interests.
In her works, beyond external form, the artist strives to capture the spirit of a plant or animal, paying homage to the exquisite beauty of nature. Her paintings achieve a balance between decorative form and the raw pigment, giving them a calm, contemplative character.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannawerkowicz_art/