My name is Marianna Zych, I was born in 2006 in Poland.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by plants. As a small child, I went to the meadows with my parents and listened to many stories from my father – who is a botanist. So nature has always accompanied me somewhere in the background.

The idea to engage in any artistic activity came to me when I was going to high school. But since I didn’t go to any art school, I started taking extra classes in various studios where I learned the basics.
But specifically I started my adventure with watercolors in 2021-2022. I accidentally took part in a botanical illustration class held at the Botanical Garden of the University of Warsaw, led by a Polish botanical artist – Izabela Wolska Kuśmider. It was the first time I used watercolors, previously I thought they were terrible and I wouldn’t even dream of trying to paint with them.

After the first class, it turned out to be love at first sight. Since then, I have attended individual classes from time to time. One day my teacher mentioned a competition for Young Botanical Artists organized by Shirley Sherwood, which I then entered and ended up winning first place. After my first exhibition in my life, I realized that this is the greatest hobby I have ever had. Of course, I was and still am terrified because I have no experience in any botanical society or in exhibitions at all.
Moreover, the fact that I am a beginner surrounded by experienced artists is, on the one hand, wonderful, but on the other hand, it makes me dizzy. But I intend to develop further and discover new horizons regardless of my age or experience.