GAYLETTER

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.

Just before the pandemic, artist Krzysztof Strzelecki had recently decided to return to his childhood home in southwest Poland. He had been through the educational wringer — first studying environmental engineering then painting, and also along the way photography and ceramics — and after graduating the artist found himself yearning for more time and space to make work. The universe seemed to oblige, and when lockdown hit, Strzelecki began a series of clay sculptures and vessels titled Cruising Fantasies, inspired by his epicurean daydreams and memories — an amalgamation of idealized scenes of homoerotic courtship and sweet moments spent outdoor in parks and forests with friends, one of the only perks of ‘social distancing.’

Strzelecki’s love for pottery began when he was living in Warsaw and took a night course. It was a more recent trip to Kyoto, however, that reignited his interest in ceramics. There, he learned a technique that involves mixing clay slip and glaze and then carving shallow relief lines. Strzelecki’s process involves making collages combining photos he takes of muscle-clad sculptures in the Vatican with pornography stills. He prints the collages on paper and lays them over clay slabs, using a pencil to trace the contours of the bodies in his collages onto the soft clay underneath. After carving the lines deeper, and then processing the clay in a low-heat ‘biscuit fire,’ the raised surfaces are painted with vivid glazes. Another bake at a slightly higher temperature sets the colors but keeps their brightness. The result is a rambunctious sex bacchanal referencing classical imagery, all rendered through delicate craft — Strzelecki’s own personal garden reverie.

Krzysztof Strzelecki photographed in London, UK. November 2021.

This story was printed in GAYLETTER Issue 15, get a copy of this issue here.