Triangular cotton scarf with a hand-painted toucan

Beautiful notebook

My name is Aleksandra Winiarska-Fitzpatrick and I am of Polish descent who lives with her family in Ireland. I graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, Poland with a degree in Ceramics and Glass. Everything I do is made with love and passion. Every product is one of kind, is not made in factory. We are creating "things" in single copies. They could be similar to make a collection but they are never the same. Our products are for people who love to surround themselves with things that are unique, they love to be extraordinary.

 Aleks Designs and Bartus Studio are my two brands. At Aleks Designs, all products are made from natural fibers, including Australian merino wool, silk, linen and bamboo. At Bartus Studio me and my husband Peter, we are making pottery, there is also collection of cotton scarves and cotton blouses with hand painted designs and other applications. Bartus studio were created after the death of my beloved father, Edward Bartus, who taught me to think creatively, to be an independent woman and, above all, gave me the faith and courage to go my own way.

 I am a person who loves to create, a person who does not like or know boredom.  Usually, I feel unsatisfied and suffer from a lack of time, because in addition to my artistic spirit, I am also a fulfilled wife and mother. My main inspiration comes from landscape, nature, music and children. I love uniqueness and uniqueness. I use encountered, inconspicuous objects in my artwork. I observe colors, textures in everything that surrounds us. I experiment and discover new tools. I try to make every single thing I create as if I were making it for myself. My work gives me a lot of joy and is a great escape from everyday life, it’s a way of expression of my own emotions.

Everything I create is made with love and passion. All the things that are unique and not repetitive, they may be similar but never identical because all the designs are handmade by me.

From an early age I attended art workshops where I learned to express my own thoughts and feelings through art, they found an outlet through the colors, textures and themes of the work. I knew for a long time that this was what I loved. It gives me incredible joy to be able to sink my hands into clay or fabric, to create something that prompts me from within. Every moment spent in the studio is special to me. I'm a mum and don't have much time for myself. I manoeuvre between minutes to make the most of the day. Sometimes I get frustrated because ideas jump out of my head and I don't have time to realise them. So, I meticulously write everything down and jot it down, then put it on a shelf where my ideas patiently wait for their moment of realisation. I love what I do and I feel that I have my own world in which I can realise myself. What I find amazing is the bond with my clients, it gives me a lot of positive energy to continue working. Knowing that people come back for more things makes me feel honoured and immensely happy.