“I attempt to channel my creativity,
positive energy and optimism into my art,
jewelry and everyday living”.

I was born Maria Malgorzata Malec in the rural and mountainous region of south Poland, a country under communist rule established after World War II. 

These were simple times in the countryside, and I have happy memories of playing in the woods, foraging for mushrooms and berries in the mountains with my family and friends, and learning to make wine and preserve foods grown and found on the land.  My mom, a school principal and Russian language teacher, taught me to sew, knit, and crochet from an early age, and I knitted my first sweater when I was 8. I also cherished art lessons from my father, who was a gifted artist and photographer, and also a factory worker.

With a background in art and graphics, I was accepted into the rigorous 5-year art program at the historic Castle in Bielska-Baila, where I received immersion in the classical arts, graphic design, and screen printing.  Each weekday morning, for five years, I walked to the train station in my village of Wegierska Gorka and began a daily, four-hour round trip on a coal-fired locomotive school to Bielska-Biala. 

While a student, I experienced firsthand the civil unrest, tension, and excitement as millions of Poles, encouraged by the appointment of the first Polish Pope in 1978, emerged from the shadows to join the “Solidarity” movement in hopes of freeing Poland from the grips of communist rule. 

I graduated in May 1982, just six months after the imposition of martial law by the government in December 1981. Martial was implemented to destroy the “Solidarity” movement and break the will of Poles seeking democratic reform and freedom. It lasted 2 and a half years. TV and radio programming was limited to government-run stations, thousands of people were imprisoned, and public gatherings and protests were rarely tolerated and often harshly put down.  Although economic conditions were difficult, in December 1982, I started my first business, creating and selling hand-painted graphics on a variety of materials and items at village markets throughout the countryside.

Resistance to communist rule continued, and finally, in 1989, the Polish people and “Solidarity prevailed…winning freedom of the press and democratic elections.  It was a time of great pride and triumph for a country crushed during World War II.   

I feel my years growing up under this period of difficulty and struggle helped mold the person I am today…determined, resourceful, and always optimistic.  I am blessed to share my joy and thankfulness with every person I meet. I attempt to infuse my passion for art and freedom into unique jewelry creations that express individuality and inner beauty. 

I immigrated to Chicago in 2001, cleaned houses, provided elderly home care services, and began learning English.  I also worked at the info help desk for the Elk Grove Public Library, which helped spur my understanding and speaking of English. I was proud to become a U.S. citizen in 2009 I relocated to Little Rock in January 2013.